{"id":24811,"date":"2025-06-26T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=24811"},"modified":"2025-06-26T17:36:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T00:36:24","slug":"wildfire-soil-testing-boosted-by-fireaid-grant-to-public-exchange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/wildfire-soil-testing-boosted-by-fireaid-grant-to-public-exchange\/","title":{"rendered":"$1 million FireAid grant boosts USC Dornsife researchers\u2019 wildfire soil testing program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                                              \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/06\/FireAid_PX_Top-768x432.png\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/06\/FireAid_PX_Top-1920x1080.png 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/06\/FireAid_PX_Top-1280x720.png 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/06\/FireAid_PX_Top-768x432.png 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Composite show FireAid logo superimposed over a photo of a researcher collecting soil samples from a burnt driveway\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Dornsife researchers will expand soil testing in wildfire affected communities with support from FireAid. (Composite: Letty Avila. Image sources: FireAid; Courtesy of Seth John.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=health\">Health<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>$1 million FireAid grant boosts USC Dornsife researchers\u2019 wildfire soil testing program<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  The new funding will expand USC Dornsife&#8217;s soil testing campaign in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires \u2014 screening for a wider range of contaminants, speeding up lab results and increasing community outreach.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Ileana Wachtel<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">June 26, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 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     >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>As cleanup continues in neighborhoods hit by the January Los Angeles wildfires, a $1 million gift from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fireaidla.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FireAid<\/a> \u2014 the nonprofit that organized a post-fire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/music\/story\/2025-01-30\/fireaid-benefit-concert-live-updates-kia-forum-intuit-dome\">benefit concert<\/a> \u2014 will help expand testing for toxic soil contamination in hard-hit communities.<\/p>\n<p>The funding supports\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/publicexchange.usc.edu\/la-wildfire-soil-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Contaminant Level Evaluation and Analysis for Neighborhoods<\/a>, or CLEAN, a project led by researchers in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/earth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Earth Sciences<\/a>\u00a0at USC Dornsife\u2019s College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The initiative is a collaboration with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/publicexchange.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Exchange<\/a>\u00a0(PX) at USC Dornsife and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keck School of Medicine of USC<\/a>. The researchers have been testing for lead in soil at homes, schools and playgrounds in L.A.\u2019s Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods since March.<\/p>\n<p>With the new support from FireAid, USC researchers will broaden their scope beyond just lead to screen for other contaminants that pose a risk to human health, including heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled that we can scale up our work and test for a broader set of contaminants beyond lead,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/josh-west\/\">Josh West<\/a>, professor of Earth sciences and environmental studies at USC Dornsife and project co-lead. \u201cThis money will also speed up lab processing to help residents make faster, better-informed decisions about health risks as they recover and rebuild their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Faster results, wider reach for soil testing<\/h2>\n<p>The January wildfires scorched nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fire.ca.gov\/incidents\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">40,000 acres<\/a> and destroyed more than 16,000 structures across Pacific Palisades and Altadena. In the weeks after the fire was contained, the researchers themselves began collecting soil samples from the burned residential areas. Then CLEAN launched a few weeks later, opening its doors to community submissions, and the team has since analyzed more than 1,500 samples for lead levels, with another 2,000 awaiting processing.<\/p>\n<p>This new grant will help accelerate the effort, said <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/seth-john\/\">Seth John<\/a>, associate professor of Earth sciences at USC Dornsife and project co-lead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the Eaton fire region, residents we met often asked for help testing soils in their own yards and gardens,\u201d John said. \u201cThis funding makes that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Public Exchange works to solve real-world problems<\/h2>\n<p>CLEAN was created to address a key gap in environmental testing after the wildfires. As part of PX\u2019s mission to connect university research with real-world needs, the initiative launched as news surfaced that federal agencies declined to test soil once debris and topsoil were removed \u2014 and when formal environmental testing proved too costly for many residents.<\/p>\n<p>CLEAN offers free testing to all Los Angeles County residents. Samples can be dropped off at <a href=\"https:\/\/publicexchange.usc.edu\/la-wildfire-soil-testing\/\">locations<\/a> across the area, including in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pasadena, Altadena and Boyle Heights. Or they can be mailed to USC scientists.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to sample testing, a portion of the new funding will go towards expanding collection sites, hosting community events and ramping up an awareness campaign, explained Sujeet Rao, director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/public-exchange-health-and-wellbeing-practice\/\">Health and Wellbeing Practice at Public Exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur team\u2019s efforts are not complete without robust public communication about what results mean for residents and their families. This new funding will help ensure that the findings and guidance from our USC researchers reach the people who need it most,\u201d Rao said.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers and PX team say they\u2019re also laying the groundwork for a long-term model \u2014 one that shows how authorities can respond more directly to environmental crises.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d said project co-lead <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/sam-silva\/\">Sam Silva<\/a>, assistant professor of Earth sciences, civil and environmental engineering, and population and public health sciences. \u201cWe\u2019re proud of what we\u2019ve accomplished and we\u2019re ready to do more so our work has a lasting impact in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>About CLEAN<\/h2>\n<p>The CLEAN initiative is distinct from soil testing efforts led by other research teams and government agencies such as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. While CLEAN\u2019s testing is rigorous and reliable, it is not meant to replace the comprehensive environmental evaluations required in some situations. Instead, the CLEAN team\u2019s goal is to provide a fast, science-backed overview of potential health risks, empowering residents as they navigate their paths to recovery.<\/p>\n<h2>About FireAid<\/h2>\n<p>FireAid was founded in the aftermath of the wildfires and held a global benefit concert that raised an estimated $100 million. Its first round of grants \u2014 totaling $50 million \u2014 funded emergency aid for more than 150,000 residents through over 120 nonprofit organizations. The CLEAN grant is part of FireAid\u2019s second-phase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fireaidla.org\/press-releases\/fireaid-announces-additional-25-million-in-grants\">investment<\/a> in long-term recovery and environmental remediation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-public-exchange-welcomes-climate-leader-with-deep-la-policy-experience\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife Public Exchange welcomes climate leader with deep LA policy experience<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/food-insecurity-still-high-in-la-county-but-who-it-affects-is-changing\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Food insecurity remains high in L.A. County, but who it affects is changing<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/post-wildfire-lead-testing-clean-project-grows-in-and-beyond-los-angeles\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife\u2019s post-wildfire lead testing initiative grows in and beyond L.A. County<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new funding will expand Public Exchange\u2019s soil testing campaign in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires \u2014 screening for a wider range of contaminants, speeding up lab results and increasing community outreach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":24813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,16,24,15],"tags":[63,159,80],"class_list":["post-24811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-science-and-technology","category-social-impact","category-sustainability","tag-community-engagement","tag-earth-sciences","tag-public-exchange"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin 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