USC Dornsife’s post-wildfire lead testing initiative grows in and beyond L.A. County
An effort by USC Earth scientists to address potential health risks following January’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires has grown into the largest program of its kind in the county.
Hoping to fill a critical public health gap in the aftermath of the fires, researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences invited concerned homeowners to submit soil samples for lead analysis at no cost. This effort evolved into the CLEAN (Contaminant Level Evaluation and Analysis for Neighborhoods) project, led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange and the Department of Earth Sciences.
For some of the scientists, the effort is personal. “I have kids myself, and I’m worried about their health,” said Seth John, associate professor of Earth sciences. “I have colleagues in the department who have children and homes close by the burned areas. All of us were just personally concerned about lead contamination.”
Fueled by grants from FireAid and L.A. Care, as well as widespread media coverage, the CLEAN program has dramatically increased its capacity. To date, the team has tested more than 4,000 samples of soil lead. They’ve also expanded testing for other contaminants in a limited capacity.