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L.A. fires' toxic effects have experts urging precaution over rush to rebuild
The flames were extinguished nearly two months ago, but the long-term public health effects from the Palisades and Eaton fires will be a slow burn.
As the devastating blazes consumed homes, businesses, cars and more, they also torched the hazardous chemicals and metal those properties contained. Toxic ash — which may include cancer-causing arsenic and brain-damaging lead — filled the air and settled into the soil in and around the burn zones.
As health experts and local leaders work to determine the exposure levels of first responders and affected communities, they're contending with the pressures of rebuilding quickly and a controversial decision by federal officials.
A firefighter records information for a destroyed house on Loma Alta Drive in Altadena on Jan. 14, 2025. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Tested firefighters had elevated toxins in their systems
Researchers shared early results from what's expected to be a ten-year study into the L.A. fires.
The team, which includes scientists and researchers from Harvard, UCLA, UC Davis and USC, took blood samples from 20 firefighters from Northern California who traveled to help contain both blazes.
The results showed that the firefighters "had levels of lead and mercury in their blood that was significantly higher than what health experts consider to be safe," Times reporter Salvador Hernandez wrote this week.
The Northern California crews also had lead and mercury in their systems at levels three and five times higher, respectively, than a control group of firefighters who fought a forest fire alone, Dr. Kari Nadeau, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Salvador.
"Researchers are still looking to expand the number of firefighters in the study, as well as the range of toxins they may have been exposed to," Salvador reported. "Nevertheless, even these limited and preliminary findings bolster a growing worry among firefighters that the L.A. fires may have exposed them to metals and chemicals with long-term health effects."
Dave Gillotte, a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and president of the Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014, told Salvador that firefighters could face long-term health impacts similar to what 9/11 first responders have suffered in the decades after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Firefighters with Cal Fire watch a fire that threatens homes in Topanga Canyon at the end of Amy Way on Jan. 9, 2025. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Fears of toxic soil meet rush to rebuild
The rebuilding effort in Altadena and L.A.'s Pacific Palisades neighborhood is underway.
But the optics of resilience are at odds with calls for caution among health experts and some elected officials concerned that the federal operation to get dangerous materials out of the ground has been rushed or inadequate.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is managing the initial cleanup effort, but sparked controversy last month when they announced that federal agencies won't test the soil after clearing debris and removing a 6-inch layer of topsoil on affected properties.
As my colleague Tony Briscoe explained, that decision "[breaks] with a long-standing practice that was intended to ensure that homes and schools don't still contain excessive levels of harmful chemicals after environmental disasters such as a wildfire."
"FEMA encouraged state and local officials to pay for soil testing, if they believe it's necessary," Tony noted. "So far, no state or local plans for soil testing have been unveiled."
A group of eight federal lawmakers from California are challenging the agency's decision.
"FEMA's refusal to test for toxins in the soil after wildfire cleanup in Los Angeles County is unacceptable," U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) said in a statement. "Families deserve to know their homes are safe and free of dangerous chemicals. This … risks exposing entire communities to long-term health threats."
Some residents are also concerned that L.A. city and county officials' decision to not require soil testing when issuing most rebuilding permits increases the risk that residents and workers will be exposed to toxic chemicals. The Los Angeles Unified School District meanwhile said they are paying out of pocket for soil testing on their three campuses damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire.
One rebuilding expert told Tony a lack of testing could impact property owners' ability to hire contractors, especially if the process is left to thousands of individuals.
Today's top stories
A group of Altadena residents whose homes survived the Eaton fire rally against the concrete recycling operation planned at the Altadena Golf Course. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
In the middle of a neighborhood that survived the fire, a cleanup operation brings fear
- Most homes surrounding the Altadena Golf Course are still standing. But residents wonder if it's safe to return as a concrete recycling operation takes over the space.
- Residents have been told that the work is safe. But they have seen no evidence to back that claim and wonder if the push for a speedy cleanup could pose new danger.
RFK Jr. makes sweeping cuts in federal health programs, including the CDC and the FDA
- The primary target of Kennedy's cuts is the FDA, which works to ensure the safety and efficacy of foods, drugs, medical devices, tobacco and other regulated products.
- It will cut its workforce by 3,500 full-time employees — a reduction that a health department fact sheet said "will not affect drug, medical device, or food reviewers, nor will it impact inspectors."
What else is going on
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This morning's must reads
Iris Behnam, 4, receives a vaccination while her mom, Haley Behnam, holds and comforts her at Larchmont Pediatrics in Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A pediatrician's dilemma: Should a practice kick out unvaccinated kids? "Dismissal" policies were once discouraged, both because pediatricians have a duty to care for all their young patients, and because some anti-vaccine parents can be convinced over time to change their minds. But in 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics came up with new guidance: Vaccines against preventable diseases like the measles were so important that if, after repeated attempts, a pediatrician couldn't convince a parent to get their child immunized, a practice could righteously kick them out.
Other must reads
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For your downtime
Coach Jon Guerra teaches technique during drills at his beginner padel clinic at the Padel Courts in Hollywood. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times)
Going out
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And finally ... your photo of the day
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Construction crews worked throughout the offseason to finish upgrades to the team's clubhouse in time for the start of the 2025 season. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Today's great photo is from Times photographer Robert Gauthier, who photographed an aerial view of the Dodgers' offseason renovations to their home clubhouse.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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