A push to end a fractured approach to post-fire contamination removal

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The patchwork efforts to identify and safely remove contamination left by the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires has been akin to the Wild West.Experts have given conflicting guidance on best practices.Shortly after the fires, the federal government suddenly refused to adhere to California’s decades-old post-fire soil-testing policy; California later considered following suit.

Meanwhile, insurance companies have resisted remediation practices widely recommended by scientists for still-standing homes.A new bill introduced this week by state Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) aims to change that by creating statewide science-based standards for the testing and removal of contamination deposited by wildfires — specifically within still-standing homes, workplaces and schools, and in the soil around those structures.“In a state where we’ve had a number of different wildfires that have happened in urban and suburban areas, I was shocked that we didn’t have a black-and-white standard and protocol that would lay out a uniform post-fire safety standard for when a home is habitable again,” Harabedian said.The bill, AB 1642, would task the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control with creating standards by July 1, 2027.The standards would only serve as guidance — not requirements — but even that would be helpful, advocates say.“Guidance, advisories — those are extremely helpful for families that are trying to return home safely,” said Nicole Maccalla, who leads data science efforts with Eaton Fire Residents United, a grassroots organization addressing contamination in still-standing homes.

“Right now, there’s nothing ...which means that insurance companies are the decision-makers.

And they don’t necessarily prioritize human health.They’re running a business.”Maccalla supports tasking DTSC with determining what levels of contamination pose an u...