A new environmental study from UCLA found that people whose homes survived the Palisades and Eaton fires have been dealing with dangerous conditions for months.
The study, conducted by the school’s Fielding School of Public Health, found that even after the fires were out, people who went back to homes in the burn zones were continually exposed to hazardous chemicals at much higher levels than in the areas outside of homes.
“They tend to keep their indoor space sort of like closed, and that traps the pollutants inside because they don't disappear once they get into the soft goods and your carpets and furniture, drywalls,” Professor Yifang Zhu, who co-founded the study, told KNX News’ Pete Demetriou. “They can continue to off-gas back into the indoor air for quite a bit of time.”
Professor Zhu also said the harm to people can be reduced, but it requires specific actions.
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“For example, it will heavily depend on how well the indoor spaces are ventilated,” she said. “ It will also depend on whether people remove those contaminated atoms from their indoor spaces, out of their homes.”
The study also hinted that even after a professional cleaning, it might be better if contaminated materials, such as fabric on chairs or cushions, are completely replaced to minimize any health risks.
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