LA County testing finds elevated lead in Altadena soils after Eaton Fire, complicating rebuilding

🔍 Key Facts

An After-Action Report by the McChrystal Group (released the week of Sept. 26, 2025) found systemic failures in LA County's emergency response to the fires, citing staffing shortages (including sheriff deputy vacancies), an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management, only four staff trained on Genasys alert software after a November contract expansion, and unreliable cellular/connectivity and field reporting platforms.
The Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025 killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
L.A. County Department of Public Health's final soil testing found a sizeable number of Altadena properties with lead concentrations above California's safe level of 80 mg/kg, raising health and rebuilding concerns.
Caltech data show more than 90% of homes in Altadena were built before 1975, increasing the likelihood of legacy lead paint contributing to soil contamination.
USC's CLEAN testing program reported that contamination persisted at some sites even after the Army Corps scraped six inches of soil, suggesting scraping alone may not remove all hazardous lead contamination.
More than one in three Altadena homeowners say they have not obtained the soil testing they want; some homeowners will need to remove hazardous soil before rebuilding, complicating recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Social media users highlight utility company negligence, pointing to Southern California Edison's overdue repairs on power lines suspected of igniting the Eaton Fire, calling for greater accountability and potential legal action against the company.
Many on X discuss the financial burdens of rebuilding, noting that high costs for soil remediation and new construction make it economically unviable for some homeowners to rebuild like-for-like on their lots.
Posts on X emphasize bureaucratic delays, such as lengthy EPA hazardous materials clearance processes that could take months, leaving thousands of destroyed lots uncleared and families in prolonged limbo.
Users draw parallels to recovery challenges in other disasters like the Maui fires, sharing frustrations over restricted access and slow permitting that mirror Altadena's situation.
X conversations focus on the personal toll, with homeowners expressing anxiety over toxic ash seeping into soil and the need to pay private contractors out-of-pocket to speed up debris removal amid slow official cleanup efforts.

Based on 2 sources

https://www.facebook.com/CBSEveningNews/ October 03, 2025

New information:

L.A. County Department of Public Health's final soil testing found a sizeable number of Altadena properties with lead concentrations above the state's safe level (80 mg/kg).
Caltech data cited: more than 90% of homes in Altadena were built before 1975, increasing risk of legacy lead paint in soils.
USC's CLEAN testing program is conducting independent evaluations and found contamination persisted even after the Army Corps scraped six inches of soil.
More than one in three Altadena homeowners report they have not obtained the soil testing they want; some homeowners will need to remove hazardous soil before rebuilding.

NPR by The Associated Press September 26, 2025

New information:

After-Action Report by McChrystal Group released the week of Sept. 26, 2025 identifies systemic failures in LA County emergency response.
Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025 killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
Report cites staffing shortages (notably sheriff deputy vacancies), OEM under-resourcing, only four staff trained on Genasys alert software after a November contract expansion, and unreliable cellular/connectivity and reporting platforms in the field.