Prof. Ryan Prosser, School of Environmental Sciences, spoke to CBC Ottawa about a new kind of fire suppressant that can be dropped from planes or helicopters over wildfires.

The article looked at a Canadian-made and developed fire suppressant called Eco-Gel, which extinguishes flames without heavy use of water. The suppressant is also plant-based and doesn’t contain the same chemicals of other fire suppressants.

Prosser told CBC he recently studied the toxicity of several new fire suppression gels and foams to examine their effects on germinating plants. His research team found Eco-Gel to be the least toxic of the six products tested.

The startup that created Eco-Gel now hopes to receive certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be added to their list of qualified products.

Prosser researches the impacts that industrial, agricultural and commercial chemicals have on the environment.