SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) During the years 2018 to 2021, inclusive, fire seasons in California were among the most destructive on record, with millions of acres burned, thousands of homes destroyed, and dozens of lives lost.
(b) According to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE), over 4,000,000 acres burned in California between 2018 and 2021, which is more than double the 1,600,000-acre average for the prior 10 years.
(c) During this time period, multiple large-scale wildfires, including the Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire, and Thomas Fire, caused significant damage and destruction to homes and communities across the state.
(d) The magnitude and scale of these wildfires have created unprecedented challenges for affected Californians, including years-long site cleanup and hazardous material removal, prolonged displacement, and serious health complications.
(e) A recent Stanford University study showed that unmanaged wildfires can release toxic metal particles. Specifically, the study showed extreme high heat wildfires can transform a natural element in soils into a potentially cancer-causing and airborne metal known as hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6.
(f) Chromium 6 can possibly increase cancer risk when inhaled or ingested. Other serious health consequences include asthma, heart attacks, and early death, due to its toxicity.
(g) These health risks to firefighters, disaster response workers, and California residents living and working near or downwind from conflagrations from airborne chromium 6 need to be further vetted and mitigated.
(h) More research and study is needed to better understand how to limit high-heat fires, which increase exposure to chromium 6, by implementing strategies, including controlled burns and other forest clean-up measures.
(i) Further research and mitigation strategies will better protect humans and ecosystems, including waterways and groundwater.