VIDEO: Despite continued cleanup work in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades to remove debris in the aftermath of the January wildfires, many families have not been able to return home largely due to carcinogens and other harmful toxins inside their properties as well as their neighborhoods. More than 50 homes in the Altadena area torched by the Eaton Fire were estimated to have contaminants like lead and asbestos, according to a neighborhood group called Eaton Fire Residents United.
After the grassroots organization asked neighbors to anonymously provide results of air quality and toxin testing, it has now mapped out the findings. โNinety-eight percent of those 57 tests, which span all through Altadena, northern Pasadena and western Sierra Madre, all show positive for contaminants,โ said Jill Lawton Potelle, who is worried about the toxins inside her home as it is just 150 or 200 feet from three burnt structures. Nicole Maccalla whose home is intact after the Eaton Fire does not know when she and her family can finally go home after the property tested positive for lead and asbestos.
