Wildfires Leave Toxic Mark On LA Coastline, Threatening Marine Health

LOS ANGELES, CA — Lead and other heavy metals were detected in the ocean off Los Angeles following this year’s devastating wildfires, raising alarms among marine scientists about the long-term impact on fish, marine mammals, and the broader ocean food chain, according to a report released last week by Heal the Bay.

While the results were less concerning for human beachgoers who enjoy surfing and swimming, tests found that metals spiking the waters, even at low concentrations, can harm sea animals.

"As char and debris started washing up on beaches from Santa Monica to Redondo, concerns from the community got louder," Heal the Bay wrote. "The unprecedented nature of this climate disaster has meant that answers to important public health questions have gone unanswered...until now."

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The report, published on March 27, tested for 116 contaminants in seawater from eight locations along LA's coastline. The tests detected levels of heavy metals such as beryllium, chromium, copper, lead and nickel.

"Even at low concentrations, heavy metals can disrupt vital biological processes, damage cells and impair reproductive and immune functions for marine animals," according to the report.

What's more, such metals in seafood can pose similar risks to humans, the report warns. These metals can also be carried through the food chain for other marine animals through what's called bioaccumulation.

"This impacts the entire food web, which inevitably impacts humans," the report says.

Heavy metal pollution is a major concern along the coast impacted by the Palisades Fire. The highest levels were found at Topanga Beach, where Topanga Creek drains fire debris from the Big Rock burn zone — an area with burned structures near the shore and tidal zone. Elevated levels were also detected at Will Rogers State Beach, where Temescal Canyon channels runoff from another burn zone near dense residential areas.

Levels of beryllium, copper, chromium, nickel and lead were two to four times higher than the maximum allowed under state law at Big Rock Beach, the Los Angeles Times reported.

This is where wrecked homes still lie on the sand, and where today the waves lap against twisted metal, concrete and glass.

"The potential scope of contamination has been horrifying for all who love, recreate in, and admire the incredible marine life in our gorgeous Santa Monica Bay," according to Heal the Bay.

More heavy metals were found further south at Santa Monica Pier and Dockweiler State Beach as the pollution migrated south of where the major fires smoldered.

One concern for researchers is that since laboratory analyses take anywhere from several days to several weeks, scientists weren't able to get these test results promptly.

Much of the tested seawater was collected on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, before the rainstorm that arrived the next week. Additional samples were collected on Jan. 28 after a much bigger storm dragged debris into the ocean.

"This means that by the time we receive the data, it is already out of date," researchers wrote.

Heal the Bay Chief Executive Tracy Quinn told the Los Angeles Times that since there are no regular testing programs for such contaminants, there's no baseline showing conditions before the fires.

More research is needed to find whether the burned contaminants are pooling in the water or if the levels are coming from another source of pollution.

“We don’t recommend that people consume fish that are caught in the Santa Monica Bay right now,” Quinn told the Times.

Read the full report here.