Is the soil on my property contaminated? Is it safe to replant my garden?

The LA Fires released a complex mix of particulate matter (PM), heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) from burned structures, vehicles, and household items. These pollutants can persist for months to years in the environment. Further, damaged materials can continue to release pollutants back into the environment via wind and water.

The goal of this study was to provide free soil testing for homeowners to help them understand the relative safety of their properties. Since over the year and half since the fires, our teams collected and analyzed more than 3,400 soil samples from enrolled properties in and around the Palisades and Eaton fire zones to test for possible wildfire pollutants. These results were provided at NO cost to the homeowner for the sampling or testing. The results were provided to the homeowner once testing was complete. More than a dozen metals were tested such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium (often including hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI)), and lithium.

Click to view a slide deck of overall findings from the 3,400+ properties.

The soil testing and analysis component of CAP.LA includes researchers from UCLA and Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Sanjay Mohanty (UCLA) lead and oversaw the soil collection, methodology, and analysis. Here is a Soil Information Sheet in English and Español with answers to frequently asked questions.

Scroll through the StoryMap below to view a map of de-identified and aggregated data for the metals that were tested.