The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 Wildfire retardants help stop fires — but also impact ecosystems https://thenarwhal.ca/fire-retardant-wildfires-impact/ Tue, 02 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=143848 In the rush to put out wildfires, hundreds of millions of litres of fire retardant are dropped on forests across North America. New research shows the effects they can have on water and ecosystems — especially when accidents happen Drew Anderson News Alberta freshwater Wildfire Photo: Noah Berger / The Associated Press A helicopter flies over a stand of trees, dropping a bright red plume of fire retardant.