The wildfires spreading through southern California have caused a significant loss of life, along with life-altering damage to people’s homes, businesses, automobiles, mementos, keepsakes, family heirlooms and more.
The fires also released toxic asbestos that could be deadly to residents returning to their properties.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in old homes, automobiles, office buildings, and more. It’s also a proven cause of several diseases, including types of cancer. Asbestos is the only cause of the rare cancer mesothelioma, which kills approximately 2,500 people in the U.S. each year.
Wildfires like the ones ravaging California have burned down buildings and released asbestos kept hidden in the walls or under the floorboards for decades. Now, that asbestos is loose, broken apart, and hiding beneath the debris.
As residents return to their communities and assess the damage, pick up the pieces, and attempt to rebuild their lives, they run the risk of exposing themselves to discarded asbestos in the rubble. Asbestos fibers are weightless, and any disturbance can contaminate the air and make it dangerous to inhale.
Even moving a piece of debris can have deadly consequences for residents trying to clean up after the fires.
So, what can people do to protect themselves? How can people hoping to return to their properties avoid exposing themselves or their loved ones to asbestos – and prevent further loss of life?
Here are some tips on how to prevent asbestos exposure from the California wildfires.
Wear Protective Equipment
During cleanup efforts, asbestos can be inhaled or swallowed. Fibers can also attach to your skin or hair.
According to an article published by NPR about the California wildfires, experts recommend people use N95 masks to protect themselves from toxins in the air. Respirators can also help, along with goggles to protect eyes. Masks and respirators keep the majority of contaminated air away from your nose and mouth. Wearing this protective gear can reduce, although not eliminate, the risk of exposure and later developing an asbestos disease.
Gloves, long-sleeve shirts, and long pants can protect a person’s skin, keeping the fibers on a piece of equipment or clothing that can be removed and discarded.
Wash Clothes for Cleanup Before Returning to a Confined Space
The clothes you wore at the cleanup site could be covered in asbestos debris. Making matters worse, this debris is invisible to the naked eye, so there’s no way to tell. The fibers are so tiny that they go undetected.
Wearing those clothes home or into a confined space before they’re cleaned is dangerous. Asbestos fibers inside of a room or automobile can lead to long-term contamination of a confined, tight space and easy inhalation. This is how your friends and family can be exposed: secondhand asbestos exposure.
Take the clothes off, bag them, and clean them thoroughly before bringing them into the temporary residence. Do not bring asbestos-ridden clothes into your living space. If it would make you feel safer, then simply throw the clothes away.
Replace Furniture and Appliances
If any furniture or appliances survived the fires, then they may be covered in asbestos debris. It’s too risky to salvage them.
Replace furniture or appliances as a precaution. This is especially true for items with porous or sticky-fabric surfaces, such as couches with soft cushions. Blankets are another risky item to keep around.
Harder surfaces are easier to clean and less likely for fibers to stick to, but side on safety over cost-cutting when considering if a household item is worth keeping.
Stay Away and Let Professionals Clean Up the Debris
The last tip to avoid asbestos in the California wildfire debris is the most obvious tip: Stay away. Simply stay clear of the cleanup site until the debris is gone and air testing specialists deem the area safe to inhabit again.
Let professionals remove the debris, if possible. Wait for the air quality to improve. Find a temporary living space. Even though you may want to return and begin rebuilding as quickly as possible, it’s not worth the risk of potentially developing cancer later in life due to toxic asbestos you unknowingly inhaled.
Stay away from the cleanup site until the experts believe it’s safe for you and others to return.
Sources & Author
- Cleaning up after the LA wildfires is dangerous. Here’s how to protect yourself. NPR. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/19/nx-s1-5259900/la-wildfires-health-risks. Accessed: 01/21/2025.
About the Writer, Devin Golden
Devin Golden is the senior content writer for Mesothelioma Guide. He produces mesothelioma-related content on various mediums, including the Mesothelioma Guide website and social media channels. Devin's objective is to translate complex information regarding mesothelioma into informative, easily absorbable content to help patients and their loved ones.
Sources & Author
About the Writer, Devin Golden
Devin Golden is a content writer for Mesothelioma Guide. He produces mesothelioma-related content on various mediums, including the Mesothelioma Guide website and social media channels. Devin's objective is to translate complex information regarding mesothelioma into informative, easily absorbable content to help patients and their loved ones.