What Is Fire Retardant Made Of?

We've seen pictures time and time again recently of planes dropping fire retardant on one of the hundreds of fires burning in California, but what's really in that red stuff? There are two types of chemical fire retardant, liquid and gel, and both contain chemicals used in fertilizers. "Basically it's phosphates or fertilizer, and water as the delivery medium," said Tom Blunt, a veteran with Cal Fire. But the retardants also contain chemicals not known even to Cal Fire, components listed by the manufacturer as "trade secrets." In a Cal Fire document obtained by CBS, health cautions are listed for both basic types of chemical retardants. They may cause nasal and respiratory tract irritation. The report says the chemicals are no more than slightly irritating to skin or eyes. There have been reports of people having breathing problems after being exposed to fire retardant. Cal Fire claims it's a time-tested firefighting tool. Despite the fact that retardant contains a secret ingredient ...