The pink fire retardant that are saving Los Angeles homes

Fighting deadly infernos from the air

What’s in pink fire retardant? The fire retardants are mostly ammonium phosphate fertilizer and a few other ingredients mixed with water. Perimeter Solutions doesn’t publicly list all of the ingredients of MVP-Fx powder, which it describes as “trade secrets”— anyone could copy the product if they did.

However, the main ingredient is monoammonium phosphate — commonly used as a fertilizer — which makes up 80% to 90% of the mixture. The product also contains diammonium phosphate and performance additives, according to the MVP-Fx safety data sheet. Is pink fire retardant safe for humans? Phos-Chek MVP-Fx doesn’t contain any substances known to the state of California to cause cancer, developmental or reproductive harm, according to the MVP-Fx safety data sheet. To protect ecosystems, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior require planes to avoid dropping fire retardant within 300 feet of waterways (ground deliveries must also avoid waterways). Some exceptions can be made, however, including if “potential damage to natural resources outweighs possible loss of aquatic life,” according to the Forest Service.

January 16, 2025 | 5:45 am