When is it safe to return home after a wildfire? California becomes first state to pass standards
With a pair of bills passed Monday, California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for contamination risk after wildfire smoke enters homes, requiring testing for lead and asbestos and forcing insurers to use those standards.
After a wildfire fills a house with smoke, when is it safe to return? With a pair of bills passed Monday, California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for that contamination risk.
Since last year's fires in Los Angeles, thousands of people have remained displaced or stuck in temporary housing, even though many of them own homes that survived the blazes. But because there are no consistent requirements for testing and remediating toxins in smoke, like lead and asbestos, which can settle into walls and ducts during a wildfire, the residents fear that moving back to their homes could make them sick.
The two bills require California's Department of Toxic Substances Control and Air Resources Board to develop regulations and guidance on what contaminants need to be addressed after a wildfire, how environmental testing should be conducted and when homes can be considered ready for re-occupancy.
AB 1642 is a first-in-the-nation setting of standards for testing, remediation and restoration for any residential property affected by a wildfire. Its companion bill, 1795, will ensure that insurance companies will use those standards when processing insurance claims for homes affected by a wildfire.The bill next goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk to sign into law.