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LA County approves funding for lead tests at homes downwind of Eaton Fire
Smoke from the Eaton Fire fills the sky in La Cañada Flintridge.
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Jules Hotz
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CalMatters
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Topline:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to allocate $3 million for residents who want to test their soil for lead. The funds are intended to help people whose intact properties are in the Eaton Fire burn scar or within one mile downwind, and who may struggle to get testing subsidized through their insurance or cleanup programs run by the federal government.
The full context: Last week, the L.A. County Department of Public Health announced that they found high levels of lead on a number of intact properties downwind from the Eaton Fire, indicating that the heavy metal traveled far outside the burn area.
Funding source: The pot of money comes from the Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program, which is funded by a $134 million settlement the county won against manufacturers of lead-based paint in 2018.
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Who will test? The Department of Public Health will contract with certified laboratories.
Will you qualify? More information about the program will become available in the next 30 days or so.
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