How to Protect Yourself From Toxic Debris After a Wildfire

Experts say the harm from toxic debris could cause sinister long-term health effects. So it's important to wear personal protective gear and thoroughly clean surviving spaces to mitigate the risk from toxic chemicals.

After the Palisades Fire burned through his Malibu neighborhood, Michael Ingram was eager to see what remained of his childhood home. At a reentry point into the neighborhood, volunteers briefed him about the dangers of sifting through the ashes and encouraged him not to stay in the area for more than 15 minutes without protective gear. They handed him a bag full of gear and sent him on his way.

When Ingram pulled up to the property, he found that the steel beams that supported the home had melted and the concrete slabs had failed. Much of the house had fallen in. Many of his family’s belongings lay as ash, teetering on the edge of the mountain. They chose not to sift through the debris and opened only their family safe.

“The small chance to find some token or memento against the very real risk of inhaling all these toxins, it just wasn't worth it for us,” Ingram said.

Ingram is one of thousands of residents returning to their neighborhoods after the devastating fires that torched homes throughout Los Angeles. Experts say the harm from toxic debris could cause sinister long-term health effects. So it’s important to wear personal protective gear and thoroughly clean surviving spaces to mitigate the risk from toxic chemicals.

Here’s what you should know.

What are the risks?

Evelyn Wong, the medical director of Medical Mission Adventures, a nonprofit in Los Angeles dedicated to offering free mobile medical services, said that fires feature two major exposure periods: the smoke during the fire and then the toxic chemicals that linger long afterward.

During the Maui fires, which Wong responded to, “As people began returning to search for personal belongings without proper protective gear, we faced another wave of respiratory complaints,” she said. That pattern is repeating itself throughout Los Angeles.

“People don’t realize how toxic that ash is,” said Wong, who is operating a mobile medical clinic out of a church parking lot in Pasadena.

Wildfires expose people to particulates like soot, and larger particles like ash, which can cause a range of adverse health effects. Soot and other fine particles, known as PM2.5, can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing asthma, heart disease and thousands of premature deaths each year.

Urban fires can also introduce heavy metals, asbestos, lead and other gases into the air. Smoke and ash from urban wildfires contain more toxic chemicals, compared to forest fires, because of the hazardous chemicals that permeate common household products such as electronics, plastics, insulation and metals. The burning of all these materials creates a powerful toxic brew.

How to protect yourself

In the aftermath of an urban wildfire, personal protective equipment serves as a primary barrier against direct exposure to ash, soot, fine particles and gases released by hazardous materials burned in the fires.

Walking through burned areas can kick up settled soot and other toxic particles, which can enter the body through inhalation, eyes and skin.

In recent weeks, Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian medical organization, has handed out thousands of reentry kits in Los Angeles and more than 2 million N95 masks. Kits, like the one Ingram received, include white coveralls, gloves, goggles, boot covers and N95 masks. N95 masks and respirators offer better protection than surgical or cloth masks, which won’t catch fine particles.

Particles and ash can cling to clothing and pose an additional exposure route. Avoid reusing N95 masks and always clean protective clothing before reusing.

“It might be blue skies, the fire’s out and the risk seems to be gone, but just sifting through belongings, that’s going to expose a person to pretty high particulate matter,” said Alycia Clark, Direct Relief’s vice president and chief pharmacy officer.

Wong said that she has seen a number of patients with respiratory complications and other symptoms in the days after the fires. Many of her patients were unaware of the importance of wearing protective gear.

“There are so many toxic chemicals, particles in the air that we can’t see,” Wong said.

How to clean your home

In the home, toxic particles can be deposited on floors, walls, fabrics and other surfaces. It’s important to clean debris in a way that doesn’t further expose you to hazardous chemicals. The first step before entering a fire-damaged home to clean is to put on protective gear to curb inhalation risks and exposure through the skin and eyes.

Vulnerable individuals including children and people who have preexisting conditions, are older or who are pregnant should not participate in cleanup activities.

Delphine Farmer, a professor of chemistry at Colorado State University, suggests opening a window to help diffuse particles stirred up by cleaning.

If the air outside is still smoky, you can create a “clean air room” by sealing off a room and running an HVAC unit or using an air filter, said Laura Kate Bender, assistant vice president of nationwide healthy air at the American Lung Association. Then repeat