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Previous scientific research shows that the detritus left behind after a fire can be laden with toxic compounds and gases, from heavy metals to burned plastics to asbestos.
Why it matters: Exposure to the ash and even air can cause short-term health impacts, from the runny eyes Ronaghi experienced to respiratory issues and mor
Keep reading ... for tips on how to protect yourself while cleaning up after the fires.
Reza Ronaghi lost his home in the Los Angeles wildfires last week.
"Not a single house survived in our two-block area," he said.
Ronaghi is a pulmonologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. So he is well-acquainted with the health risks associated with breathing in wildfire smoke. But even he, a medical professional, was shocked to see how many potential health risks lurked in the detritus, ash, and smoke left behind after the fires.
"This is not just a regular fire," he said. The ash contains material from "thousands of houses and all the material the house was made of, the inside, the appliances, the roof, the list goes on."
But what alarmed him more was how little health and safety guidance officials offered to residents returning to the neighborhood to see what was left of their homes.
He and several neighbors were allowed back into their Pacific Palisades neighborhood a few days after the burn; the ground was still smoking. He wore an N95 mask, but quickly realized he should have more thoroughly protected himself — with gloves, goggles, a respirator mask like those used when working with chemicals, and long clothes that he could remove and bag immediately after leaving the area.
After just 20 or 30 minutes, he said, his eyes were watering and his nose was irritated. Later on, he realized his skin was irritated where it had accidentally been exposed.
Previous scientific research shows that the detritus left behind after a fire can be laden with toxic compounds and gases, from heavy metals to burned plastics to asbestos. Exposure to the ash and even air can cause short-term health impacts, from the runny eyes Ronaghi experienced to respiratory issues and more.
But it's not just the immediate health issues that concern Ronaghi. The exposure people experience now, he worries, could lead to health effects down the road.
Exposure to toxic materials left behind after houses burn can be "actually much more dangerous than what smoke may do to your lungs alone," he said.
So as people return to their homes, he wants them to take care — because "right now, we're talking about long-term consequences."
It matters what materials have burned
Wildfire smoke and ash can be dangerous to people's health even when a fire burns primarily trees and plants. But fires that burn through man-made materials are often filled with a more toxic mix. After California's 2018 Camp Fire, researchers found abnormally high concentrations of lead downwind of the burn, which they suspect came from the houses that went up in smoke. Researchers in Los Angeles have found preliminary suggestions that the ash there has high concentrations of metals, as well. Exposure to lead can lead to short-term problems like headaches or dizziness. High exposures have been associated with issues from cognitive trouble to reproductive and cardiovascular problems.
It's not just metals. Appliances, coolant fluid, polyester curtains, cleaning products — all the manmade parts of a house can produce a rich suite of health-harming compounds and gases, like benzene and formaldehyde, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.
But research on the long-term effects of wildfire smoke has only recently begun.
Surveys after the Lahaina wildfires in 2023 found that residents exposed to smoke and ash experienced increases in heart, kidney, and mental health issues. An EPA-led study exposed mice to smoke from army burn pits, which include many materials that might be found in burning homes and cars; the mice exposed to the smoke showed signs of inflammation and lung injury.
In the most damaged and contaminated areas, officials will usually send in debris-removal teams to clear away the most dangerous waste and ash. But Ronaghi stressed that anyone visiting the area before that process is complete should take precautions.
He recommends anyone visiting burn sites use N95 masks or respirators, if possible, along with goggles to protect their eyes (ski or swim goggles would work in a pinch, he says); gloves; and long clothes that they can remove before returning to wherever they're staying. Bag those clothes during transport, and wash them immediately upon arriving home, other experts suggest, to avoid bringing hazards into your living space.
Even those whose homes are still standing, including those far from the front lines of the fire, may be contending with ash and smoke. Research conducted after the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder, Colo., found that "smoke managed to penetrate indoors and through cracks underneath doors and windows," in homes downwind of the fire, said Joost de Gouw, a University of Colorado, Boulder atmospheric chemist and author of one of the studies. Residents reported health disturbances, from headaches to respiratory problems, for weeks afterward.
Hazardous gases associated with the wildfire smoke, such as benzene and naphthalene, could be detected in homes downwind of the Marshall Fire long after the burns were put out. Those gases, another study suggested, could have been absorbed by textiles, mattresses, and maybe even the wood framing and drywall in homes.
Those gases take time to dissipate, de Gouw said, during which period residents may still be exposed.
After the fire, "all of these gases that were absorbed into building materials were slowly being rereleased through indoor air, where you were smelling them," he said. "That process took about five weeks before everything ventilated out again."
How to clean up
Even for those farther from the burned neighborhoods, the cleanup could be dangerous — and could stretch over weeks.
Because the leftover ash and smoke can contain dangerous components, experts who spoke with NPR recommend protecting yourself thoroughly whenever you clean your home if it was affected by wildfire smoke.
"People who are going back to these homes should wear N95 masks to protect themselves," said Colleen Reid, a health geographer at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who worked on one of the Marshall Fire smoke studies. "We found that when people cleaned, it resuspended that ash," lifting it back into the air where people might inhale it.
Reid also suggests wearing gloves and long-sleeved clothes and pants while cleaning.
She said scientists are still working on coming up with rigorously tested recommendations for best cleaning practices after wildfires. But a 2023 study shows that cleaning a home's hard surfaces by dusting, wiping down with damp cloths, and mopping can effectively lower the concentrations of smoke-associated gases.
Reid suggests "using a HEPA-filter vacuum, and really cleaning all the surfaces — like wiping them down to try to remove those sources of the chemicals that are off-gassing."
More porous surfaces, like couches and other textiles, can persist as an ongoing source of exposure; Reid suggests replacing them, if possible.
de Gouw and other researchers found that constantly running air filters with activated carbon lowered the gas concentrations in those first weeks after the fire. But concentrations went back up when the air filters were stopped — so "it's important to keep them running for those few weeks," he said.
Research from Portland State University found that PAH levels can be lowered post-fire by simple cleaning and washing any textiles that can be washed. Long-term exposure to PAH's has been linked to increased risk of cancer.
The message, said de Gouw, is to clean everything one can carefully and thoroughly, because the smoke can affect nearly every part of a home — even in houses far from the fire line. Any efforts to lower the dose of potentially dangerous smoke and ash byproducts can help protect people, he said.
Ronaghi is still dealing with the fallout of the fires. For now, his family is dealing with the loss of their home and figuring out how, and where, to rebuild their life.
But as he processes, he wants to make sure others understand the ongoing risks.
"Most of the time we hear about fires and we say, okay, you know, we'll be okay. We're kind of removed from it," he said.
But for people across Los Angeles, it's all too possible to be exposed to health-damaging toxins right now: "And you won't know for a very, very, very long time," he said. "That's why it's super important" to protect yourself.
Copyright 2025 NPR
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Four Los Angeles venues are among those submitted by U.S. Soccer Federation to host the 2031 Women's World Cup.
Which stadiums?: The four proposed stadiums include the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which is also being used for the upcoming 2026 Men’s World Cup.
The backstory: The bid was put forward by the U.S. in conjunction with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. It includes 50 stadiums across the four countries.
What's next: Although it’ll be years before the final venues are selected, FIFA is expected to take up the vote to confirm the joint bid at their next congress scheduled for April 30 in Vancouver.
The World Cup is coming to Los Angeles in 2026. Could the Women's World Cup come here too?
On Friday, FIFA released the bid books for the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. Soccer Federation submitted a joint bid with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. It was the only bid that made the deadline.
If approved, several cities across the four countries would host the global football tournament.
Forty venues have in the U.S. have been proposed as potential sites for 2031 games, with some right here in southern California.
Four Los Angeles stadiums are part of the bid.
The bid projected that the 2031 tournament would bring in $4 billion in total revenue — four times more than $1 billion projected to be made from the upcoming 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Organizers expect to generate revenue from across six main sources including: ticket revenues, hospitality, concessions, fan festivals, broadcast, and marketing opportunities.
Ticket prices are projected to start at $35 for the opening rounds seats, and between $120 and $600 for later matches
FIFA is expected to formally confirm the bid at their next congress on April 30th in Vancouver.
The evaluation process will focus on, according to FIFA, “the event vision and key metrics, infrastructure, services, commercial considerations, and sustainability and human rights.”
The venues where games will be held won't be decided for at least a few more years.
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The Wonderful Company suffered a setback on Tuesday in its bid to overturn a new farmworker unionization law when an appeals court tossed its lawsuit against state labor regulators.
Why it matters: The decision by a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno leaves in place a controversial new law backed by the United Farm Workers that was meant to boost organizing in a heavily immigrant workforce.
The backstory: The law allows farmworkers to signal their support for union representation using a signed card, bypassing the traditional in-person, secret-ballot election usually held on the employer’s property.
California ag giant the Wonderful Company suffered a setback on Tuesday in its bid to overturn a new farmworker unionization law when an appeals court tossed its lawsuit against state labor regulators.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno leaves in place a controversial new law backed by the United Farm Workers that was meant to boost organizing in a heavily immigrant workforce. The law allows farmworkers to signal their support for union representation using a signed card, bypassing the traditional in-person, secret-ballot election usually held on the employer’s property.
The Wonderful Company — owner of the Wonderful Pistachios brand and Fiji Water, Pom pomegranate juices and Halos oranges —filed suit against the state’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board last year trying to overturn the law, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2023.
The suit, alleging the law is unconstitutional, came after the United Farm Workers filed a petition with enough signatures to represent 600-odd workers at the company’s grape nursery in Wasco.
In a contentious public dispute, the company accused union organizers of tricking workers into signing cards supporting unionization and provided over 100 employees’ signatures attesting to being deceived; in turn, the union accused the company of illegally intimidating workers into withdrawing their support. Regulators at the agricultural labor board filed charges against Wonderful after investigating the claims.
All of those allegations were being heard before the labor board last spring when Wonderful took the matter to court, arguing the new law deprived the company of due process. A Kern County judge initially halted the board proceedings, but the appeals court allowed them to continue last fall. After weeks of hearings this year, the labor board has yet to issue a decision on whether UFW can represent Wonderful employees.
In the meantime, the company has shuttered the Wasco nursery and donated it to UC Davis, making the question of an actual union at the worksite moot.
In the new ruling, the appeals court judges issued a sharp rebuke of the company for suing over the unionization instead of waiting for the labor board decision.
“Wonderful filed this petition notwithstanding approximately 50 years of unbroken precedent finding an employer may not directly challenge a union certification decision in court except in extraordinarily and exceedingly rare circumstances, which Wonderful does not meaningfully attempt to show are present here,” wrote Justice Rosendo Peña.
Elizabeth Strater, a United Farm Workers vice president, said the decision affirms that “every farm worker in California has rights under the law, and those rights need to be protected.”
But Wonderful Company General Counsel Craig Cooper dismissed the ruling as only a matter of timing: “the decision explicitly does not address the merits of Wonderful Nurseries’ constitutional challenge.”
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After an Afghan national was named as being behind a shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one member of the National Guard dead and another in critical condition, the Trump administration says it is halting all asylum decisions.
Why now: Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said Friday night that the agency is pausing decisions "until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."
After an Afghan national was named as being behind a shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one member of the National Guard dead and another in critical condition, the Trump administration says it is halting all asylum decisions.
Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said Friday night that the agency is pausing decisions "until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."
"The safety of the American people always comes first," Edlow wrote on X.
The decision follows President Trump's promise of a sharp crackdown on immigration from countries he described as "third world."
Writing on social media on Thursday night, Trump railed against immigrants from impoverished nations, accusing them of being a burden on the nation's welfare system and "preying" on natural-born citizens.
"I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover," he wrote on Truth Social.
"Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation."
The Trump administration is already deporting some immigrants, either to their countries of origin or to third countries, many of which are paid to receive them. Venezuelans were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador, a number of migrants were sent to Eswatini and South Sudan, and Rwanda has agreed to accept deportees.
Edlow wrote on social media Thursday that he had been directed to conduct "a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern."
He did not say which countries this would entail, and the USCIS did not respond to an NPR request for comment. But a June White House proclamation placed a travel ban on 12 countries of concern.
These included many African nations suffering from conflict and terrorism such as Chad, Sudan and Somalia — as well as other countries, such as Afghanistan. Another 7 countries were slapped with partial restrictions.
In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security said it had already halted all immigration requests stemming from Afghanistan and was in the process of reviewing "all" asylum cases approved under former President Biden.
The department did not respond to an NPR request for comment.
The president's latest comments against immigration was sparked by the revelation that the alleged shooter was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal — a 29-year-old Afghan national who had worked with the CIA to fight the Taliban in his native country and was admitted into the United States in 2021 as a result of his service. In a Thanksgiving Day call with servicemembers, Trump described the shooting as a terrorist attack and the shooter as a "savage monster."
He blamed the Biden administration for Lakanwal's entry to the United States and for a general failure of the immigration system.
"For the most part, we don't want 'em," he said, referring broadly to immigration seekers as gang members, mentally ill and previously incarcerated.
Trump ran both successful White House campaigns on a pledge to crack down on illegal immigration, targeting at various points migrants from countries including Mexico and Somalia.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after the Thanksgiving call, Trump widened his attack to focus not just on the alleged shooter but to rail against immigration to the U.S. and immigrants in general.
When asked by a reporter about the fact that as a former CIA asset, Lakanwal had been vetted, Trump repeatedly berated the reporter as "stupid."
Asked by another reporter whether he blamed all Afghans for the alleged actions of one, Trump said: "No, but there's a lot of problems with Afghans."
Trump then turned his attention to immigrants from Somalia, who he has repeatedly accused of being gang-affiliated and "taking over" Minnesota — home to the nation's largest Somali community.
Questioned about what Somalis had to do with the D.C. shooting, Trump said: "Nothing." But, he added, "Somalians have caused a lot of trouble." .
Later on social media, he described "Somalian gangs" in Minnesota as "roving the streets looking for 'prey' as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone."
Officials for the United Nations on Friday criticized Trump's call for sweeping halts to immigration seekers.
"They are entitled to protection under international law, and that should be given due process," U.N. human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.
Copyright 2025 NPR
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Alex and Elvia Huerta of Evil Cooks have released the El Sereno Food Passport, a $10 booklet to promote local restaurants.
What is it: The first edition of the booklet features 18 local restaurants, each offering its own little perk when you visit and get your passport stamped.
Read on ... to find out where you can get the passport and support local eateries in the Eastside community.
Alex and Elvia Huerta of Evil Cooks have released the El Sereno Food Passport, a $10 booklet to promote local restaurants.
The first edition of the booklet features 18 local restaurants, each offering its own little perk when you visit and get your passport stamped. Customers can either get free snacks or drinks or get a discount.
At Tirzah’s Mexi-Terranean, you can either get 15% off your order or a free esquite when you show your passport.
Evil Cooks is so metal, they make black octopus tacos. They have also experimented with gansito tamales. This Halloween, they collaborated with Amiga Amore, a Mexitalian eatery, to create a special “witches menu” that included huitlacoche, aguachile negro and lamb shank in fig mole.
Pick up a passport:
