Overview
- A resident-compiled dataset released Thursday covering 50 Altadena-area homes shows widespread indoor contamination remaining after remediation.
- Of 45 homes tested for lead, 43 contained lead, with 15 of 24 floor samples and 9 of 18 windowsill samples exceeding EPA screening levels for additional cleanup.
- Asbestos was detected in 9 of 25 homes tested (36%), and average surface dust concentrations in positives exceeded ad-hoc benchmarks the EPA used after 9/11, though no official EPA surface standard exists.
- Most homes in the dataset had been cleaned by professional remediation firms, yet testing methods and clearance criteria varied, underscoring the lack of a unified, research-based indoor cleanup playbook.
- Eaton Fire Residents United is urging the California Department of Insurance and Gov. Gavin Newsom to require insurer-funded retesting and repeat remediation and to recognize an “ash zone,” as regulators have not announced a coordinated indoor standard.