There's no great mystery as to why lead and arsenic have been found in such great abundance amongst the ashes spread by California wildfires. Until just a few years ago, pressure treated wood sold for use in decks, railings, fences, wooden playground structures, and foundation sills was highly impregnated with "CCA" - the common term for a wicked brew of Chrome, Copper, and Arsenic salts. If large volumes of CCA-treated wood burned up, it easily accounts for much of the culturally introduced arsenic amongst the ashes....

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AP - The impact of climate change plus deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60 percent of the Amazon forest by 2030 [~] making it impossible to keep global temperatures from reaching catastrophic levels, an environmental group said Thursday.

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