ALTADENA, Calif. (AP) — “DANGER: Lead Work Area” reads a sign on the front door of an Altadena home. “May harm fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.”
Block after block, there are reminders that pollution still lingers.
House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and homeowners come and go wearing masks, respirators, gloves and hazmat suits, wiping, vacuuming and washing homes that haven't burned to the ground.
It's been a year of grief and worry ever since destructive forest fires in the history of Los Angeles, neighborhoods were scorched and tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes. Two wind-driven fires that broke out on January 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, enterprises and places of worship. recovery it will take years.
The disaster has brought another wave of trauma to people who fear what still lurks in their homes.
Indoor air quality after wildfires remains poorly understood, and scientists still don't know the long-term health effects of exposure to large urban fires like the one in Los Angeles last year. But some released chemicals are known to be linked to heart and lung disease. exposure to minerals such as magnetite has been associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Ash The area contains a toxic soup of burnt-out cars, electronics, paint, furniture and any other personal items. It may contain pesticides, asbestos, plastics, lead or other heavy metals.
Many of those who still have their homes now live with dangers left behind by fires.
People were forced to return to their homes in Altadena
Nina and Billy Malone considered their home of 20 years a safe haven until smoke, ash and soot seeped inside, leaving behind harmful levels of lead even after professional cleaning. Recent testing showed the toxin was still present on the wood floors of their living room and bedroom.
They were forced to return home anyway in August after insurance stopped their rental assistance.
Since then, Nina wakes up almost every day with a sore throat and headaches. Billy had to receive an inhaler due to worsening wheezing and nasal congestion. And in their bedroom, according to Nina, it smells “as if the ashtray had been here for a long time.” Her biggest concern is exposure to unregulated pollutants that insurance companies are not required to test for.
“I don’t feel comfortable in this place,” said Nina, whose neighbors’ houses burned down across the street.
They are not alone.
Data shows dangerous levels of lead still in homes
Six of the 10 homes damaged by smoke from the Eaton Fire still contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing asbestos, brain-damaging lead, or both, according to a report released in November by Eaton Fire Residents United, a group of volunteers formed by local residents. This is based on self-reported data from 50 homeowners who cleaned their homes, with 78% hiring professional cleaners.
Of the 50 homes, 63% had lead levels above the EPA standard, according to the report. The average lead level was nearly 60 times higher than the EPA rule.
Even after the fires were extinguished, volatile organic compounds from the smoke, some of which are known to cause cancer, remained in people's homes, according to the study. recent study. To reduce these risks, residents returning home should ventilate and filter indoor air by opening windows or using high-efficiency air purifiers (HEPA) with carbon filters.
Zoe Gonzalez Izquierdo said she can't get her insurance company to pay for adequate cleaning of her family's Altadena home, which tested positive for dangerous levels of lead and other toxic compounds.
“They can't just send a company that isn't certified to just wipe things down so we can then go back into a still contaminated house,” said Gonzalez, who has children ages 2 and 4.
Experts believe the lead that can linger in dust on floors and window sills comes from burnt lead paint. The University of Southern California reported that more than 70% of homes in the Eaton Fire neighborhood were built before 1979, when lead paint was common.
“For pregnant women and young children, it is especially important that we do everything we can to eliminate lead exposure,” said pediatrician Dr. Lisa Patel, executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and a member of the climate group Science Moms.
The same goes for asbestos, she added, as there is no safe level of exposure.
“We will have to live in a scar”
People who lived in Pacific Palisadeswhich was also scorched faces similar problems.
Residents are at the mercy of their insurance companies, who decide what to cover and how much. For many, it is a grueling and constant battle. The state's insurer of last resort, known as the California Fair Access to Claims Plan, has been under scrutiny for years for its handling of insurance claims. fire damage claims.
Homeowners want government agencies to force insurance companies to return properties to pre-fire conditions.
Julie Lawson won't take any chances. Her family paid about $7,000 out of pocket to have the soil tested at their Altadena home, even though their insurance company had already agreed to pay for replacing the grass in the front yard. They planned to check again for contaminants once they had finished cleaning up the interior of the house after the fire. If insurance doesn't cover it, they'll pay for it themselves.
Even if their home becomes livable again, they will still face other losses, including the equity and community they once had.
“We have to live in the scar,” she said. “We're all still really struggling.”
They will live in the construction zone for many years. “This is not the end for us.”
Mental health problems and damage
Annie Barbour of the nonprofit United Policyholders helps people address issues including insurance companies refusing to pay for contamination testing and industrial hygienists disagreeing about what to test for.
She sees the toll it takes on people's mental health – and as a survivor of the 2017 disaster herself. Tubbs Fire in Northern California, she gets it.
Many were initially happy to see that their houses were still standing.
“But they've been in their own kind of hell ever since,” Barbour said.
Now residents like the Malones are checking their belongings one by one, fearing they might have absorbed toxins.
Boxes, bags and trash cans filled with clothes, china and everything in between fill the couple's car, basement, garage and home.
They carefully went through their belongings, assessing what they thought could be properly cleaned. At the same time, Nina cleans cabinets, drawers, floors and still finds soot and ash. She wears gloves and a respirator, and sometimes just an N-95 mask.
Billy says their insurance won't pay for the home inspection again, so they're considering paying the $10,000 themselves. And if the results showed there was still contamination, their insurance company told them they would only pay to clean up federally regulated toxins such as lead and asbestos.
“I don’t know how to deal with it,” said Nina, who is considering therapy to cope with her anxiety. “Do you think this argument makes the insurance company pay for something to protect itself?”
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AP staff writer Alex Veiga contributed to this report.
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