No elevated levels for any type of air toxics were detected in the burn areas of Altadena and Pasadena, the South Coast Air Quality Management District reported on Friday, Feb. 7.
The AQMD found near zero levels for air toxic metals and for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
The measurements were taken on Jan. 31 — 24 days after the Eaton fire broke out — through two types of mobile testing designed to measure different toxic chemicals and compounds, the agency reported.
In the Eaton fire area, the levels of lead were below the federal standard. Prolonged lead exposure through inhalation can lead to developmental delays in children and in adults it can damage the brain and kidneys.
For arsenic, also a metal often found in smoke and ash from urban fires, the levels tested “well below the state’s short-term (1-hour) health threshold for this pollutant,” the air quality agency reported. Arsenic can damage the lungs and cause respiratory illness depending on the dosage.
Concentrations of benzene, a human carcinogen that has been linked to acute myeloid leukemia, were also well below the state’s 1-hour threshold of 8 parts per billion.
“Overall, the results were within background levels (air quality on a typical day) and below national standards and state health thresholds,” the AQMD reported.
The AQMD mobile monitors also measured methane, a gas that is used in cooking and heating.
“Some elevated levels of methane, possibly from gas leaks, were detected,” the AQMD reported.
Data shows certain “hot spots” of methane in the Altadena burned out areas. However, overall the concentration of the gas was close to 2 parts per million, which is the typical background level, the agency reported.
The report is good news for residents within or near the Eaton fire burn areas. The fire killed 17 people, destroyed 9,413 structures and damaged 1,074 others.
Martin Lo, 72, and his husband Bill Wentzel, 69, lost their home located near the Altadena Country Club. Lo works as a mission designer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, located just outside the burn area.
Lo said he smelled strong odors of a burnt smell coming from the ash and damaged homes and businesses nearby as he drove to work Thursday. The fire is 100% contained and no longer burning.
“Sure, it’s good news. But it doesn’t mean it is all gone,” he said.
The AQMD will do a second Eaton fire area survey the week of Feb. 10. The first Palisades mobile survey for air toxics also will begin next week and another is planned. Rain delayed the second survey in the Eaton fire area and the first Palisades fire survey, the agency reported.
“Mobile monitoring surveys capture a snapshot in time and are used to identify pollutant hotspots and help identify stationary monitoring sites,” said Nahal Mogharabi, AQMD spokesperson in an emailed response.
Mobile air toxics surveying will continue for the next three to four weeks, the AQMD said in a statement. The agency will be guided by these results to determine where to place fixed monitoring devices for continual air toxic monitoring.
Real time air quality information can be found on South Coast AQMD’s AQI Map at: https://www.aqmd.gov/aqimap. Sign up for air quality advisories at: https://www.airalerts.org.