Testing finds high lead levels in Eaton and Palisades fire burn zones

The L.A. County Department of Public Health has found high levels of lead in the soil of properties that burned during January’s fires and have now been cleared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The county initiated the testing after the Army Corps said it would not do the testing itself, breaking with a longstanding practice of the federal government doing that work. Army Corps officials said removing up to 6 inches of topsoil would be enough to eliminate hazardous chemicals.

But ongoing testing is finding that is not necessarily the case.

The county hired environmental consulting firm Roux Associates Inc. to sample soil at 30 properties — 15 in the Eaton Fire burn zone and 15 in the Palisades — that had been cleared by the Army Corps.

The results were most worrisome in Altadena, where about 27% of the samples had lead levels above California’s residential safety standard. (No amount of lead exposure is considered safe, but state health standards aim to reduce risk of exposure.)

In the Palisades burn scar, fewer than 3% of cleared properties had lead levels above California’s safety standard.

Lead levels were lower on cleared properties as opposed to properties that had not yet been cleared by the Army Corps: 44% of samples taken from unscraped properties in Altadena had elevated lead levels, while 12% of samples taken at unscraped properties in the Palisades had higher levels.

“While the U.S. Army Corps doesn't decrease the risk in the Eaton area down to zero, it does reflect a significant improvement,” Adam Love, the vice president and principal scientist for Roux, said at a virtual community meeting Thursday.

In mid-April, the county released preliminary testing results showing elevated lead levels in soils of properties downwind of the Eaton Fire.

The county did not share data showing how far above health standards the samples were, saying the data had yet to be finalized. California’s state standards for residential properties say lead levels should not exceed 80 parts per million. The federal EPA’s standard is 200 parts per million.

An aerial view of Altadena showing several cleared properties amongst many more awaiting to be cleared of debris and rubble from the Eaton Fire on April 7, 2025.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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The county will update the latest testing data on a dashboard tracking air, soil and water testing in the burn zones.

USC researchers have been doing their own testing with property owners as well, finding some samples that are more than three times the standards.

Professor Seth John, who is spearheading that effort, said the team is starting to shift its focus to understand levels of contamination between cleared versus uncleared properties. (If you’re concerned about how the fires affected your soil, you can get involved with the project here.)

Why the disparity between Altadena and the Palisades?

The reason for the difference between the lead levels in the Palisades and Eaton burn scars is not clear.

“The honest answer is we don't know,” Love said. “ It could be related to the difference in the housing stock and the fact that the houses in the Eaton area are more likely to have lead-based paint.”

Love said it could also be a result of ongoing debris clearing dislodging ash, causing lead and other toxic metals to once again settle on cleared properties.

Or, Love added, it could be that lead was already there. It’s not uncommon to find elevated lead levels in Southern California soil because of the region’s industrial history and past prevalence of lead in fuel and paint.

“ There's a lot of different things that could explain why, but we can't just from the data that we collected,” Love said.

That’s why he and county officials said soil testing should be a part of every rebuild plan, and property owners should target that testing to areas that will be exposed and used, such as playgrounds, outdoor eating areas, gardens or walkways.

But fire survivors worry that could lead to additional debris removal needs and even more costs as they try to rebuild.

Testing downwind and blood tests

The county is also launching a large-scale free soil testing effort on May 19.

“This is targeted specifically to homes downwind of the Eaton Fire, where we saw the most significant findings from the soil sampling,” said Dr. Nichole Quick of the county’s Public Health Department.

Quick said about 26,000 eligible homes will receive a postcard invitation to participate.

The program is expected to run through December.

Residents can also get their soil tested free through USC, which is researching how the fires may have affected soil.

Meanwhile, Quick urged residents, especially those with young children, to take advantage of free blood tests. She said you can ask your doctor for a lead blood test, which is covered by most insurance plans, including Medi-Cal. You can also call (800) LA-4-LEAD (524-5323) to schedule a free test through Quest Labs.

You can also go to one of the upcoming county blood test clinics for a free test:

• May 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 23519 W. Civic Center Way, Malibu.
• May 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., La Pintoresca Park, 45 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena