
‘An unprecedented situation': EPA plan for LA wildfire cleanup stirs protests over toxic dangers
This weekend, more than a hundred demonstrators protested against a new plan by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use a local beach as a toxic waste sorting site, to process debris from the Palisades fire. They waved signs saying 'Save Our Beaches' and 'Sort Toxics at the Burn Site' as they walked up and down the path along Will Rogers state beach in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, just outside Los Angeles.
Their message? Wildfire debris isn't just ash – it's poison. 'Asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will not remain contained,' a petition circulated by a local resident, Ashley Oelsen, says. 'Toxic contaminants from the wildfire debris could leach into the soil and the waterways. Onshore winds will undoubtedly carry these hazardous particulates, compromising the air quality where people live, work and play. The risk to our ocean's health is just as alarming.'
The celebrated stretch of beach isn't the only place where a post-fire debris debate is brewing. With more than 6,800 structures destroyed in the Palisades fire – and another 9,400 in the Eaton fire across the city – there are tons of ash and debris – including burned-out cars, propane tanks, pool chemicals, paint and insulation with asbestos – that need to be cleaned up and removed. Winds and rain can carry bits of toxic material into other sensitive areas, so there is a rush to move quickly. The army corps of engineers estimates 4,250,000 tons of structural ash and debris need to be removed after the LA fires of 2025.
The EPA has planned to clean up hazardous materials in just a month – a timeframe it announced in late January, after Donald Trump visited the area. The size of the disaster makes that timeframe challenging – after the devastating fires in Lahaina, Maui, it took the EPA more than three months to remove hazardous materials from just 1,448 properties that burned.
On a precious segment of California coastline, there are few places where the debris can be sorted. Right now, the Palisades cleanup is focusing on phase 1: the removal of hazardous material. For that, the EPA has deployed more than 1,000 people to remove, sort, consolidate and truck away any hazardous items. Officials say the staging sites need to be at least five acres large, and preferably paved, so that trucks can enter and exit, and they can lay down large plastic sheets and fencing to contain dust.
'In a situation like this, unfortunately, there are no good answers, and there isn't really a 'better place'. There's just the least worst option,' says Annelisa Moe, associate director of science and policy, water quality, at the non-profit organization Heal the Bay in nearby Santa Monica.
In Malibu, citizens objected to the EPA's proposal to use a parking lot near the city's Civic Center as a temporary storage place for hazardous materials. 'I do resent comparing this to, like, cleaning out some old, like, Drano,' Jeremy Fink, a Malibu resident, said at a 5 February city council meeting. 'This is not fucking Drano.'
Other residents pointed out the site was located only half a mile from two elementary schools, a quarter of a mile from the Santa Monica College's Malibu campus and one mile from Pepperdine University. An EPA official has estimated this is the largest lithium-ion battery cleanup in the world. Batteries can give off toxic gases and leach chemicals – and can also ignite new fires.
Complicating matters further, the federal government has said it will not test the soil under properties burned in the fires, despite longstanding procedure – a decision first reported by the Los Angeles Times that came as a surprise to LA county officials.
Following almost every major fire in the past 20 years, after removing ash, rubble and up to 6in of soil, agencies have sought sampling to ensure the next layer of soil is safe. This time, the army corps of engineers says the process hasn't been authorized, and that simply removing 6in of topsoil is adequate, sparking concern from experts. After the Camp fire in 2018, lead and arsenic remained at a third of properties even after the topsoil had been removed. 'We're going to sit down and talk about this, because this is a concern,' Kathryn Barger, chair of the county board of supervisors, told the Times.
Meanwhile, work has begun to sort and remove debris around the burn areas of the Palisades. At Topanga Beach, workers are handling lithium ion batteries from cars that have been burned, de-energizing them and sorting them for recycling, Moe says. Hazardous materials must be transported to permitted facilities out of state.
Heal the Bay has opposed the EPA's selection of Topanga beach as a site, due to its proximity to both the ocean, including a much-loved surf break, and streams that come down the canyon. 'Topanga Lagoon is one of the last coastal wetland areas that exists, and so the protection of that area is incredibly important for us,' says Moe. 'It's also been a site getting ready for restoration work for the last 15 years.' That work now will have to change substantially.
The EPA says the site is 'highly controlled' and the agency is minimizing risk by wetting down any dust and sampling the area before and after its work. Moe still has concerns: 'This is an unprecedented situation, and you never know what could happen.'
Ash can get lifted into the air again by high winds, says Joost de Gouw, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Colorado who studied the aftermath of the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder. 'The biggest concerns are metals and asbestos, which have been associated with various health issues,' he says.
The second phase of the cleanup includes removing what's left around burnt buildings, including chimneys, hazardous trees, ash and up to six inches of soil. Materials deemed non-hazardous are already being transported to local landfills, which include Sunshine Canyon, the county's largest active landfill. Some nearby residents worry that the fast pace of the cleanup means the lines are becoming blurred between what is hazardous and what is not.
The county has said that landfills that accept ash have a liner system that prevents any contaminants from leaking into local groundwater.
Recent rains have continued to bring ash and other runoff into the Santa Monica bay. Heal the Bay has been testing the ocean water off the coast of burned areas, both before the rains and after. The group collected samples and tested for levels of bacteria and turbidity – a measure of how cloudy the water is with suspended particles. They also tested for chemicals like Pfas – found in firefighting foam – as well as PCBs, benzene and metals such as mercury.
Moe says the results aren't back yet; runoff from the fire zone contains toxic substances for the ocean, but their concentrations are as yet unknown. It's a similar situation on land. When the scientists tested the turbidity of the creek after it rained, their devices went to the maximum setting, with water that looked like milky fluid. The water isn't used for drinking, but it plays an important role in the ecosystem, giving home to endangered steelhead trout, as well as dozens of amphibian and reptile species. 'We know there are particles in the water – not necessarily what those particles are,' Moe notes.
Still, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who presented at the Malibu city council meeting pointed out that leaving materials in place would do far greater damage than the 'minimal risk of something to happen while the materials are in a plastic drum'.
Moe agrees that it's better to clean things up as quickly as possible, and that each choice will make some people angry. 'Every location is going to be important to somebody, and so that's why there's no good answers here,' she says. 'But there are places that we can look at that, while not ideal, would be a bit easier to contain.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow kills four in massive attack after Trump warns Putin's revenge ‘won't be pretty'
At least four people were killed and 20 others were wounded in a massive Russian aerial attack, hours after US president Donald Trump warned that Vladimir Putin 's response to a significant Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airbases 'will not be pretty'. Ukraine 's Air Force reported Russia had launched ballistic missiles and drones into the war-torn country in the early hours today as mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed powerful explosions going off in the Ukrainian capital. Officials said the death toll could rise as rescue workers were still looking for people under the rubble of buildings. Casting doubts on successful peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, Mr Trump said 'sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart'. He also said that he told the Russian president that the two nations at war, was like 'two young children fighting like crazy in a park' during his one hour and 15 minute long phone call on Wednesday. Trump secretly admired Ukraine's 'badass' drone attack – report President Donald Trump once accused Ukraine 's Volodymyr Zelensky of lacking 'cards' to play in his country's years-long fight against Russia, but now he's paying far more attention to what might be in the Ukrainian leader's nhands. In the wake of Ukraine's brazen, and successful, attack on multiple Russian air bases over the weekend, Mr Trump was reportedly left marveling at the ingenuity and sheer chutzpah of Kyiv 's counteroffensive using dozens of armed drones launched from trucks traveling deep inside Russia, swarming over military airfields across the country and raining down onto nuclear-capable long-range bombers. According to Axios, Mr Trump has privately described it as 'strong' and 'badass.' Trump secretly admired Ukraine's 'badass' attack on Russian aircraft: report President was impressed by Ukraine's audacious attack on Russian airfields Arpan Rai6 June 2025 06:31 Russia says it downed 174 Ukrainian drones overnight Russia's defence ministry has said its air defence units have downed 174 Ukrainian drones overnight. Russia only reports the drones it claims to have shot down, and does not reveal total numbers or when they hit their targets. Meanwhile, Russia mounted a major attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv killing four and injuring at least 20 people in residential areas. The attack followed a warning from Russian president Vladimir Putin, conveyed via US leader Donald Trump, that the Kremlin would hit back after Ukrainian drones destroyed several strategic bomber aircraft in attacks deep inside Russia. Arpan Rai6 June 2025 06:26 Kyiv struck by Russia's Kalibr cruise missiles, says Ukraine Ukraine's Air Force said the Kyiv city had been targeted overnight with drones and Kalibr cruise missiles. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said drones had struck the upper floors of a high-rise apartment building and started a fire in Darnytskyi district on the east side of the city, where he said emergency power cuts were possible. Mr Tkachenko said a fire had also broken out in an apartment building in a western district. He said drone fragments had been spotted in three districts. Reuters witnesses reported a series of booming explosions powerful enough to rattle windows far from the impact sites, and at least one large fire at the site of a drone hit. Some Kyiv residents sought shelter in metro stations, or in underground car parks. Arpan Rai6 June 2025 06:19 Photos show powerful explosions from Russian attacks on Kyiv which killed four Arpan Rai6 June 2025 06:12 Four killed in Russian air attack on city, officials in Kyiv say At least four people were killed in an overnight Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The toll was revised up from the previous figure of one dead. Russia mounted an intense and sustained barrage of Kyiv overnight, with missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital where there was a succession of large explosions. By daybreak today, authorities in Kyiv reported that one person was killed and 20 people had been wounded, of whom 16 had been hospitalised. Operation of the city's metro transport system was disrupted because a Russian strike had hit and damaged a train between stations, the city's military administration said. The air attack also triggered fires in residential buildings in different parts of the city, authorities said. Arpan Rai6 June 2025 06:06 Trump tells German leader D-Day 'was not a pleasant day for you' A meeting between president Donald Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz took an awkward turn yesterday when he suggested that Germans might not view the anniversary of D-Day — commemorating the US-led invasion of Europe that was the beginning of the end for the Nazis — in a favorable light. Sitting in the Oval Office, Mr Merz and Mr Trump were discussing the death toll from Russia 's three-year-old war against Ukraine, the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the end of the Second World War, when the German leader noted that tomorrow marks the 81st anniversary of Operation Overlord, the allied amphibious assault on Adolf Hitler 's European stranglehold that began with American, British, Canadian and Free French troops storming the beaches of Normandy. Trump tells German leader WWII defeat 'was not a pleasant day for you' German leader forced to correct president that end of Second World War was part of his country's 'liberation' from Nazism Arpan Rai6 June 2025 05:37 Merz says Trump agrees with him on the war German Chancellor Freidrich Merz stressed that Donald Trump agreed with him on the war in Ukraine when asked for his response to the US president's comments. He pointed to Mr Trump as the "key person in the world" who would be able to stop the bloodshed. But Mr Merz also emphasised that Germany "was on the side of Ukraine" and that Kyiv was only attacking military targets, not Russian civilians. "We are trying to get them stronger," Mr Merz said of Ukraine. Arpan Rai6 June 2025 05:21 IAEA team at Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire International monitors at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine heard repeated rounds of gunfire that appeared to be aimed at drones reportedly attacking the site's training centre, the UN's nuclear watchdog said yesterday. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since routinely accused the other of attacking the plant and posing a threat to nuclear safety. Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported hearing at least five explosions between 11.30am and 13.45pm local time, each preceded by gunfire, an IAEA statement said. The statement gave no indication of the origin of the drones and said there were no reports of any damage to the centre. "Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences," IAEA director general Rafael Grossi said. "As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately." Arpan Rai6 June 2025 05:15 Nuclear chief warns of danger as gunfire targeted at drones over power plant The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that drones flying near nuclear power plants are a danger, after international monitors at the Russian-held Zaporizhia plant in Ukraine heard repeated gunfire. The gunfire appeared to be aimed at drones reportedly attacking the site's training centre, the UN nuclear watchdog said. The plant's Russian management had earlier said Ukrainian drones had landed on the roof of the training centre in "yet another attack" on the facility. "Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said. "As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately." The statement said it was the fourth time this year that the training centre, just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by drones. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. With all its reactors in shut down mode, the plant produces no electricity. Before the war, it generated one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity. Arpan Rai6 June 2025 05:09 Four killed in Russian air attack on city, officials in Kyiv say At least four people were killed in an overnight Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The toll was revised up from the previous figure of one dead. Russia mounted an intense and sustained barrage of Kyiv overnight, with missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital where there was a succession of large explosions. By daybreak today, authorities in Kyiv reported that one person was killed and 20 people had been wounded, of whom 16 had been hospitalised. Operation of the city's metro transport system was disrupted because a Russian strike had hit and damaged a train between stations, the city's military administration said. 6 June 2025 04:57


The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Trump travel ban comes as little surprise amid barrage of draconian restrictions
Donald Trump's first travel ban in 2017 had an immediate, explosive impact – spawning chaos at airports nationwide. This time around, the panic and chaos was already widespread by the time the president signed his proclamation Wednesday to fully or partially restrict foreign nationals from 19 countries from entering the United States. Since being sworn in for his second term, Trump has unleashed a barrage of draconian immigration restrictions. Within hours of taking office, the president suspended the asylum system at the southern border as part of his wide-ranging immigration crackdown. His administration has ended temporary legal residency for 211,000 Haitians, 117,000 Venezuelans and 110,000 Cubans, and moved to revoke temporary protected status for several groups of immigrants. It has moved to restrict student visas and root out scholars who have come to the US legally. 'It's death by 1,000 cuts,' said Faisal Al-Juburi of the Texas-based legal non-profit Raices, which was among several immigrants' rights groups that challenged Trump's first travel ban. 'And that's kind of the point. It's creating layers and layers of restrictions.' Trump's first travel ban in January 2017, issued days after he took office, targeted the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The order came as a shock – including to many administration officials. Customs and Border Protection officials were initially given little guidance on how to enact the ban. Lawyers and protesters rushed to international airports where travellers were stuck in limbo. Confusion spread through colleges and tech companies in the US, and refugee camps across the world. This time, Trump's travel ban came as no surprise. He had cued up the proclamation in an executive order signed on 20 January, his first day back in the White House, instructing his administration to submit a list of candidates for a ban by 21 March. Though he finally signed a proclamation enacting the ban on Wednesday, it will not take effect until 9 June – allowing border patrol officers and travellers a few days to prepare. The ban includes several exemptions, including for people with visas who are already in the United States, green-card holders, dual citizens and athletes or coaches traveling to the US for major sporting events such as the World Cup or the Olympics. It also exempts Afghans eligible for the special immigrant visa program for those who helped the US during the war in Afghanistan. But the policy, which is likely to face legal challenges, will undoubtedly once again separate families and disproportionately affect people seeking refuge from humanitarian crises. 'This is horrible, to be clear … and it's still something that reeks of arbitrary racism and xenophobia,' Al-Juburi said. 'But this does not yield the type of chaos that January 2017 yielded, because immigration overall has been upended to such a degree that the practice of immigration laws is in a state of chaos.' In his second term, Trump has taken unprecedented steps to tear down legal immigration. He has eliminated the legal status of thousands of international students and instructed US embassies worldwide to stop scheduling visa interviews as it prepares to ramp up social media vetting for international scholars. The administration has arrested people at immigration check-ins, exiled asylum seekers to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador, and detained scholars and travellers at airports without reason. Although Trump's travel ban excludes green-card holders, his Department of Homeland Security has made clear that it can and will revoke green cards as it sees fit – including in the cases of student activists Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'The first Muslim ban was very targeted, it was brutal, it was immediate, and it was massive,' said Nihad Awad, the executive director at the Council on American–Islamic Relations. 'Now, the administration is not only targeting nations with certain religious affiliations, but also people of color overall, people who criticise the US government for its funding of the genocide in Gaza.' And this new travel ban comes as many families are still reeling and recovering from Trump's first ban. 'We're looking at, essentially, a ban being in place potentially for eight out of 12 years,' said Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council. 'And even in that period where the Biden administration lifted the ban, it was still very hard for Iranians to get a visa.' Iranian Americans who came to the US fleeing political persecution back home, who couldn't return to Iran, have in some cases been unable to see their parents, siblings or other loved ones for years. 'You want your parents to be able to come for the birth of a child, or to come to your wedding,' Costello said. 'So this is a really hard moment for so many families. And I think unfortunately, there's much more staying power for this ban.' Experts say the new ban is more likely to stand up to legal challenges as his first ban. It also doesn't appear to have registered the same intense shock and outrage, culturally. 'The first time, we saw this immediate backlash, protests at airports,' said Costello. 'Now, over time, Trump has normalized this.'


The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump warns Putin's revenge for drone attack ‘not going to be pretty'
Donald Trump has warned that Vladimir Putin 's response to a signifiant Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airfields will 'not be pretty'. The US President said that Mr Putin had told him in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow would strike back following Operation Spiderweb, which targeted Russia 's nuclear-capable long-range bombers. 'They went deep into Russia and he [Putin] actually told me we have no choice but to attack based on that, and it's probably not going to be pretty,' he said. 'I don't like it, I said don't do it, you shouldn't do it, you should stop it.' Mr Trump added that there was 'a lot of hatred' between Ukraine and Russia but that he remained hopeful that a ceasefire agreement could be reached to 'stop the bloodshed'.