Federal wildfire debris crews sent asbestos waste to the wrong landfills without proper safety reviews
Federal contractors working on wildfire cleanup in Southern California dumped asbestos-contaminated debris at landfills not authorized for hazardous waste, raising concerns about worker exposure and public health risks.
Tony Briscoe reports for Los Angeles Times.
In short:
- Cleanup crews removed debris from six homes burned in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires and delivered it to local landfills before test results showed the presence of asbestos.
- Landfill workers were seen handling the waste without protective gear, and officials didn’t alert landfill operators or regulators about the contamination until weeks later.
- Nearly a million tons of disaster debris, likely containing other toxic metals like lead and arsenic, has been sent to Southern California landfills since February.
Key quote:
“It’s the continued failure to effectively protect the public from the ash. This is further evidence of that failure.”
— Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics
Why this matters:
Asbestos, once widely used in construction, breaks down into tiny airborne fibers that, when inhaled, can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other chronic diseases. Wildfire debris often contains asbestos and heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, especially when it includes older homes and buildings. When this material is dumped in regular municipal landfills, workers and nearby residents may unknowingly be exposed to airborne toxins, particularly if safety gear isn’t used and safeguards fail. As climate change fuels more intense and frequent wildfires, the scale of debris removal is growing, raising the risk of repeat mistakes. Long-term exposure to such contaminants can harm respiratory health and may contaminate soil, air, and water around landfill sites.
Related: Rethinking asbestos disposal: From hazard to resource
