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UCLA Study: Eaton Fire Smoke Sent Toxic Metals Airborne, Then Cleared in Six Days
Key Takeaways
- A UCLA-led study published in ACS ES&T Air tracked how the January 2025 Eaton fire affected air quality downwind.
- During active burning, smoke carried extremely elevated levels of lead, arsenic, chlorine, bromine and copper.
- Researchers found no evidence that toxic smoke or heavy metals lingered after the fire was extinguished; pollution returned to normal within six days and stayed there for months.
- The team combined data from UCLA's campus and the South Coast AQMD Huntington Park Station, about 17 miles south-southwest of the fire's origin, with satellite fire tracking and wind models.
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DT Editorial Team··via phys.org