‘An unprecedented situation’: EPA plan for LA wildfire cleanup stirs protests over toxic dangers
Demonstrators have protested against an expedited cleanup process that would involve using a beloved beach as a toxic waste sorting site
This weekend, more than a hundred demonstrators protested against a new plan by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use a local beach as a toxic waste sorting site, to process debris from the Palisades fire. They waved signs saying “Save Our Beaches” and “Sort Toxics at the Burn Site” as they walked up and down the path along Will Rogers state beach in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, just outside Los Angeles.
Their message? Wildfire debris isn’t just ash – it’s poison. “Asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will not remain contained,” a petition circulated by a local resident, Ashley Oelsen, says. “Toxic contaminants from the wildfire debris could leach into the soil and the waterways. Onshore winds will undoubtedly carry these hazardous particulates, compromising the air quality where people live, work and play. The risk to our ocean’s health is just as alarming.”
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