ALTADENA, Calif. \u2014 \u201cDANGER: Lead Work Area\u201d reads a sign on a front door of an Altadena home. \u201cMay damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Block after block there are reminders that contaminants still linger.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a year of heartbreak and worry since the most\u00a0destructive wildfires\u00a0in the Los Angeles area’s history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people
\n
Two wind-whipped blazes that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools,\u00a0businesses\u00a0and places of worship
\n
The disaster has brought another wave of trauma for people afraid of what still lurks inside their homes
\n
Many with homes still standing are now living with the\u00a0hazards\u00a0left by the fires<\/p>\n
House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and homeowners alike come and go wearing masks, respirators, gloves and hazmat suits as they wipe, vacuum and power-wash homes that weren\u2019t burnt to ash.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a year of heartbreak and worry since the most\u00a0destructive wildfires\u00a0in the Los Angeles area’s history scorched neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people. Two wind-whipped blazes that ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools,\u00a0businesses\u00a0and places of worship.\u00a0Rebuilding\u00a0will take years.<\/p>\n
The disaster has brought another wave of trauma for people afraid of what still lurks inside their homes.<\/p>\n
Indoor air quality after wildfires remains understudied, and scientists still don\u2019t know the long-term health impacts of exposure to massive urban fires like last year\u2019s in Los Angeles. But some chemicals released are known to be linked to heart disease and lung issues, and\u00a0exposure to minerals like magnetite\u00a0has been associated with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Ash\u00a0in the area is a toxic soup of incinerated cars, electronics, paints, furniture and every other kind of personal belonging. It can contain pesticides, asbestos, plastics, lead or other heavy metals.<\/p>\n
Many with homes still standing are now living with the\u00a0hazards\u00a0left by the fires.<\/p>\n
People forced back into their Altadena homes<\/p>\n
Nina and Billy Malone considered their home of 20 years a safe haven before smoke, ash and soot seeped inside, leaving behind harmful levels of lead even after professional cleaning. Recent testing found the toxin is still on the wooden floors of their living room and bedroom.<\/p>\n
They were forced to move back home in August anyway, after insurance cut off their rental assistance.<\/p>\n
Since then, Nina wakes up almost daily with a sore throat and headaches. Billy had to get an inhaler for his worsening wheezing and congestion. And their bedroom, Nina said, smells \u201clike an ashtray has been sitting around for a long time.” She worries most about exposure to unregulated contaminants that insurance companies aren’t required to test.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t feel comfortable in the space,\u201d said Nina, whose neighbors’ homes burned down across the street.<\/p>\n
They’re not alone.<\/p>\n
Data shows dangerous lead levels still in homes<\/p>\n
According to a report released in November by the Eaton Fire Residents United, a volunteer group formed by residents, six out of 10 homes damaged from smoke from the Eaton Fire still have dangerous levels of cancer-causing asbestos, brain-damaging lead or both. That\u2019s based on self-submitted data from 50 homeowners who have cleaned their homes, with 78% hiring professional cleaners.<\/p>\n
Of the 50 homes, 63% have lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s standard, according to the report. The average lead levels were almost 60 times higher than the EPA’s rule.<\/p>\n