Many of Altadena’s standing houses are still contaminated after cleaning

More than half of the remaining homes in the area that were buried in the ashes of the Eton fire had significant lead contamination, even after extensive indoor remediation efforts. According to new findings The announcement was made on Thursday from the Atton Fire Citizens USA, a land advocacy group. Additionally, a third of the renovated homes tested positive for asbestos.

The results of 50 homes in and down the Eton burn area provide the first broad evidence that remediation techniques used by insurance companies and public health officials did not adequately remove pollutants deposited by the fire.

Long-term exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing mesothelioma and other cancers, and long-term exposure to lead can cause permanent brain damage, especially in children, leading to developmental delays and behavioral problems. No level of exposure to lead and asbestos comes without risks of adverse health effects.

“This is a societal problem,” said Nicole McCalla, who heads EFRU’s data science. “It doesn’t matter what measure you use, a pass doesn’t clear based on the information we have, which means it’s still not safe for you to return home.”

It’s an issue that many residents who have stayed elsewhere are returning home to – especially those whose insurance money for temporary housing has dried up. EFRU leaders are encouraging residents to test their homes after repair work, and if the results show contamination, to continue repairs and testing until the lab results come back clean.

The EFRU – born in January out of frustration that no level of government is responding adequately to the environmental health concerns of Altadena residents – is asking the owners of standing houses to share the test results they commissioned from professional laboratories, both before and after treatment.

In March, EFRU was First to publish comprehensive results From inside homes that have not yet been remediated: Of the 53 professional test reports that homeowners shared with the organization, every family that was tested for lead was found.

A similar process was employed for this final, post-treatment report. Homeowners hired testing experts to collect samples and run tests at certified labs, then shared those results with EFRU. The organization then compiled them into a database to provide a much broader picture of pollution in existing homes than any single test shows.

Of the 50 total homes included in the EFRU report, 45 were tested for lead, and 43 had minimal lead contamination.

Of the 18 homes where professionals specifically tested for lead in windows, nine exceeded the level at which the Environmental Protection Agency typically requires further remediation. And of the 24 homes specifically tested for lead in the floors, 15 exceeded the EPA’s treatment level.

There is no official EPA treatment level for asbestos dust on surfaces. However, asbestos dust was found in nine of the 25 homes tested for it in the EFRU report. The average concentration in these homes was significantly higher than the ad-hoc treatment levels that the EPA used in New York after 9/11.

“The number of homes tested is still very low, but given that most homes have been renovated by professional companies, we expect that all homes should fall below the EPA level,” said Francois Tissot, a Caltech geochemistry professor who began testing standing homes after the Eaton fire. “This is the promise of professional treatment.”

Now, EFRU is asking the California Department of Insurance to require insurers to cover testing and, if necessary, multiple rounds of treatment. The group is also calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare an “ash zone,” which would officially recognize the effects of smoke and ash from fires beyond the immediate burn area.

The ash zone, the EFRU says, will raise public awareness of health concerns and take some of the burden off individual residents to prove to insurance companies that their home has been affected.

Tissot, which is not involved with the EFRU but is in contact with the group, previously found that cleaned surfaces contained around 90% less lead than those left after a fire. This made the EFRU’s findings particularly surprising.

“For us to not even break 50% with professional treatment is alarming,” he said.

While state and federal officials have developed playbooks in collaboration with researchers to address contamination in drinking water systems and soils after wildfires, home remedies are something of a wild west.

Instead of a central government agency working to ensure in-home treatment follows a research-backed rehabilitation approach, a revolving door of insurance regulators and a hodgepodge of treatment professionals with varying levels of ability and expertise set different policies and standards for each home.

“For 30 years under multiple insurance commissioners, there have been no efforts to develop standards and protocols for testing, safe screening levels and smoking cessation treatment in law,” the California Department of Insurance said in a statement to The Times. Because of this, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara convened the Tobacco Claims and Treatment Task Force to “fill this gap,” according to the statement.

The department said it included public health experts, environmental health experts and fire experts and heard several presentations from survivor groups and academics. “They are moving quickly to develop proposals and will release them as they are completed.”

EFRU reviews test results primarily from industrial hygienists, who specialize in identifying and assessing environmental health hazards, often in workplaces such as manufacturing facilities and hospitals.

In its review, EFRU found that most tests didn’t even look for lead or asbestos — despite the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Obviously a warning Two pollutants are known issues in the post-fire area. Those tested for asbestos often use less sensitive methods that can lower the report rate.

EFRU hopes to work with researchers and authorities to develop an indoor pollution playbook, like those available for drinking water and soil, designed to help residents recover safely and quickly.

Dan Fanning, who leads EFRU’s advocacy work, said: “We need a coordinated effort from all the different agencies with elected officials – either through legislation or pressure.” “We can get answers for these residents and for future wildfires.”