Toxic cloud contaminates homes that survived the Los Angeles fires

When Karen Girard's home survived the fires that devastated entire communities around Los Angeles in January, she thought she was incredibly lucky. But soon, her joy turned to sadness.

Nine months after the tragedy, Girard was unable to return to his home in Altadena, a middle-class neighborhood in the western United States.

Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and zinc, as well as toxic and even carcinogenic volatile substances such as cyanide and furfural, contaminate your home and force you to wear a mask every time you enter.

“When I saw that the house was still standing two days later (after the fire), I was so happy,” Girard recalled in an interview with AFP.

“I thought I should buy a lottery ticket because I would never be so lucky again.”

Until a series of analyses revealed the presence of toxic components in the walls, furniture and even the floor.

“I realized that even though the house was still standing, I could have lost it,” lamented the 58-year-old designer. “How was that possible?” she asked.

Girard suffers from asthma and has respiratory attacks if he stays indoors for too long, to the point that his doctor has changed his treatment.

The Los Angeles fires left 31 people dead and charred more than 16,000 buildings in Altadena and the upscale Pacific Palisades, an enclave near the Southern California coast.

– Invisible consequence –

The combustion of buildings, vehicles, electronic devices, and plastics has left enormous levels of pollution, an invisible consequence that impacts survivors like Girard.

With wind gusts of up to 160 km/h, the toxic cloud seeped through cracks and ventilation ducts.

Michael Jerrett, a professor of environmental science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), explains that these fires had greater toxic potential due to the mixture that emanated from them.

"The potential toxicity of the mixture from these fires is likely much higher than that of other large fires we've experienced in the United States because these fires haven't affected as many urban structures," he explained.

His team analyzed the burned communities and found hexavalent chromium in their atmosphere, a chromium compound considered carcinogenic.

These nanoparticles, the scientist says, could travel up to 10 kilometers from the burned communities, which would put tens of thousands of people at risk.

“It is important that people trying to return to their homes disinfect them properly.”

But homeowners face resistance from insurance companies to cover this costly procedure.

Girard hired a professional who recommended replacing all the objects in the house, disinfecting the structure, and demolishing and rebuilding the walls.

But his insurer, Farmers Insurance, told him that simply running a vacuum with an air filter would capture these fine particles.

– “The disaster after the disaster” –

"For them, it's a question of money, but for me, it's not. It's my home. Where I lived for two decades and where I desperately want to return," Girard declared.

"We continue to work with our client to resolve this claim and remain available to review any additional information they may wish to provide," Farmers Insurance told AFP.

The Eaton United Fire Residents Association collected 215 tests carried out in Altadena homes that registered contamination.

“There are no clear rules on this issue, so insurers can deny whatever they want,” said Jane Lawton, founder of the NGO.

"The disaster after the disaster is disease. And that's what's going to happen here. It's only a matter of time," Lawton added.

The state of California created a working group in May to develop regulations that would require insurance companies to compensate homeowners for smoke damage.

State Farm, the state's largest insurer, says it has paid out more than $4.5 billion to wildfire victims and that it evaluates smoke-related claims on a "case-by-case" basis.

Priscilla Muñoz, a customer of the company, is not satisfied.

His home, 1.5 kilometers from the affected area, is contaminated with lead, an analysis that cost 10,000 dollars (53 thousand reais) revealed.

After weeks of going back and forth with her insurance company to receive compensation that would allow her to temporarily move and decontaminate her home, she doesn't know if she will win the battle.

“Lead is porous and seeps into everything,” she said, worried about the health of her two young children.

“I don’t want you to hug a toxic teddy bear,” he added.

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