Updated

Updated · LAist · Jun 22

Jurado Demands Clear Data on Boyle Heights Fire Smoke as 500,000-Square-Foot Warehouse Still Smolders

Updated

Updated · LAist · Jun 22

Jurado Demands Clear Data on Boyle Heights Fire Smoke as 500,000-Square-Foot Warehouse Still Smolders

Q: What invisible toxins are residents breathing that standard air quality tests can't detect?

Residents are likely breathing more than the pollutants shown in the standard Air Quality Index. Experts say the warehouse smoke probably contains ultrafine particles loaded with toxic organic chemicals and toxic metals, along with volatile organic compounds that routine public monitors do not fully identify. The standard local readings mainly track PM2.5, PM10, ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. What they generally do not reveal in detail is the chemical makeup of the smoke: heavy metals such as chromium and other metal residues from burned electronics, solar panels, plastics and building materials; toxic organics from smoldering foam insulation, pallets and food packaging; and combustion byproducts such as formaldehyde, styrene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and, in some fire conditions, dioxins or hydrogen cyanide. Researchers warn that the smallest particles may be especially dangerous because they can travel deep into the lungs and potentially enter the bloodstream. UCLA’s Yifang Zhu said this creates a “double jeopardy”: pollution levels are elevated, and the particles themselves may be more toxic than ordinary urban air pollution. People closest to the fire also face the greatest risk from toxic gases, while those farther away are still mainly threatened by particulate smoke and ash. Determining exactly what is in the plume requires specialized sampling for metals, VOCs and ultrafine particles, not just the standard AQI monitors now used for public alerts.

3 articles · Updated · LAist · Jun 22

Ysabel Jurado on Monday pressed regulators to spell out what Boyle Heights residents are breathing, saying smoke data should be released clearly in English and Spanish.
Nearly a week into the fire, officials say ammonia and lithium-ion batteries have been cleared, but foam insulation, wood pallets of food and rooftop solar panels at the Lineage Logistics warehouse are still smoldering.
South Coast AQMD said its monitors track particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, and it has added monitors at Eastman Avenue Elementary and Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School; EPA is monitoring the facility fence line.
UCLA researcher Yifang Zhu said the smoke likely carries unusually toxic particles and possibly heavy metals that standard air-quality indexes do not identify, while experts urged nearby residents to stay indoors, use HEPA or MERV-13 filters and wear N95 masks.
Researchers warned the risk may persist after the blaze ends because cleanup can stir up ash and more pollution, making careful ash handling and continued precautions important.