NPR JAN 2025 / by / Read original article
In Los Angeles, crews from the Environmental Protection Agency have started showing up in hazmat suits and digging through all the potential hazardous waste that the wildfires have left behind.
Typical household items have been transformed into potential hazards by the searing heat, says Steve Calanog, the EPA’s deputy incident commander for the Southern California wildfires. These include pesticides, fertilizers, paint solvents, cleaning fluids and propane tanks, along with detritus from hobbies such as auto repair and pottery kilns.
…..
The Los Angeles-area wildfires have burned more than 12,000 structures and 40,000 acres. They’ve left behind a huge, dangerous, problematic mess. While some of the fires continue to burn, California governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order clearing the way for hazardous waste crews to start the cleanup “as soon as it is safe.”
…..
In recent wildfires, a major source of hazardous waste has been lithium ion batteries. They’re commonly used in e-bikes, solar panels — and electric cars.
“Those battery packs are large, and pose a great risk to human health and the environment,” says Calanog, who has worked on post-wildfire cleanups for more than fifteen years, “When they’re damaged by a fire, they can catastrophically catch fire days, weeks, months after.”
Read the rest of this article HERE
