MOLINE, Ill. — We all remember seeing and smelling the thick, heavy, wildfire smoke during the month of June. Smoke so thick that the Quad Cities saw air quality levels plummet and even visibility was reduced for prolonged periods of time. While we know that the air wasn't healthy to breathe, what do we know about the rain that fell as the smoke was clearing out? Let's dig in!
Keilee writes, "Leaving my home in Davenport this morning, I noticed my driveway, the sidewalk, and even the road were slippery. It almost felt slimy. It was raining at the time, but there was even a car at the stoplight on W Kimberly Rd next to me whose tires spun out while attempting to accelerate once the light turned green due to the slippery road. Is this due to the poor air quality? Do you have more information on this? Is there something in the rainwater that could be harmful?"
Let's address the slippery feeling first. Remember that for the last several weeks, our region has been in a significant drought, now classified as severe drought. The lack of rain means that particles, such as dust, allergens, etc. are building up on many surfaces, including roads, sidewalks, and even elevated surfaces such as decks and handrailings. Once this substance becomes wet, it can have a very slick feeling to it.
When it comes to roads, dirt, oil, and other grime associated with vehicles builds up with time and once it gets wet, you guessed it, that surface becomes quite slick. Our sister station, KING-TV, did a nice VERIFY piece regarding this scenario.
Is rain falling through wildfire smoke toxic?
This item is a bit more complex, so stick with me here. Wildfire smoke often comes from living vegetation that is burning, whether it's dried out or not. Even if dead trees are burning, they haven't reached the point where they have broken down enough to produce sulfur dioxide, one of the key ingredients to producing acid rain. That type of scenario involves the burning of fossil fuels, which we know take hundreds of thousands of years to create.
The one exception to this would be large residential or commercial areas that are involved in the fires. Those materials oftentimes can create harmful toxins in the air that could potentially make their way into the rainwater. However, that would truly have to be on a very large scale in order to have some part of a measurable impact.
So, in summary, no, rain falling through wildfire smoke isn't necessarily toxic. There's more danger in breathing in the wildfire smoke and its associated particles than there is in coming into contact with any rain that fell through the smoke itself.
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