""We're not seeing any evidence for harm in the ecosystem or harm for human health," said Noelle Held, a University of Southern California marine biogeochemist and principal investigator for the CLEAN Waters project, which is measuring post-fire water quality."
"Initial testing by the nonprofit environmental group Heal the Bay in the weeks after the fires documented a spike in lead, mercury and other heavy metals in coastal waters."
"Seawater lead concentrations were highest in the month after the fire and in October, when the season's first major rain had just washed months' worth of urban pollution into the ocean."
Research on the aftermath of the 2025 firestorms in Los Angeles reveals that harmful metal levels in coastal sand and seawater remain below safety limits. Following the Palisades and Eaton fires, which burned over 40,000 acres, initial tests showed elevated heavy metals. However, subsequent analyses indicated that lead concentrations, even at their highest, were well within safe thresholds. The CLEAN Waters project, led by Noelle Held, found no evidence of harm to the ecosystem or human health, providing a positive outlook post-disaster.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]