Government Overlooked Widespread Toxic Soil Pollution From LA Wildfires: Report

LOS ANGELES, CA — Months after Los Angeles left the flames of its devastating January fires in the rearview mirror, communities are rebuilding — but a recent investigation reveals they may be treading on toxic ground.

After the Eaton and Palisades fires, federal and state disaster agencies refused to pay for soil testing to make sure the ground wasn't contaminated beneath burned homes, the Los Angeles Times reported. So the newspaper took matters into its own hands, sending journalists across the burned areas to collect soil samples from 20 properties.

The samples were sent to a state-certified laboratory, where they were tested for 17 toxic metals, according to the report.

According to the Times, two of the ten Army Corps-remediated properties in Altadena still had toxic metals above California’s safety limits — including one with lead levels exceeding three times the state threshold. This is the first proof that forgoing full soil tests has allowed contamination to persist.

On three properties where homes survived the Eaton fire, tests also revealed elevated levels of arsenic, lead and mercury.

Altadena was especially vulnerable to contamination, the Times noted, because many of its homes were built before lead paint was banned in the U.S. When the Eaton fire tore through the area, it likely aerosolized an unknown quantity of lead paint, spreading toxic ash and soot across Altadena and surrounding neighborhoods.

Experts told the Times that the cost of rebuilding safely — including soil testing — could push an already expensive region further out of reach for current and future residents.

“It’s not fair that people who can’t afford to spend the extra [money] to do soil testing are going to have to live with the uncertainty about whether they’ve rebuilt on contaminated land,” said Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale).

Read the full report here: When FEMA failed to test soil for toxic substances after the L.A. fires, The Times had it done. The results were alarming.