Los Angeles, CA — Despite extensive efforts to reduce toxicity in residential soil, a sobering new study reveals that over two-thirds of remediated yards across Los Angeles continue to exceed federal lead limit standards. Aching with environmental concern, the city faces an uphill battle to secure a safe environment for its denizens.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), tasked with overseeing the state’s most comprehensive residential soil cleanup to date, may find its task far from over. In a report published recently, 70% of the areas classified as “remediated” have been found to still contain hazardous lead levels. In some places, the lead concentration exceeded 400 parts per million (ppm), the action level specified by California’s public health goal.
As part of an ongoing clean-up operation following the closure of the Exide battery recycling plant in 2015, the DTSC’s efforts have aimed at reducing hazardous waste levels across a swath of neighborhoods in South Los Angeles. The plant was shut down due to its dangerous emission levels of lead and arsenic, which posed a significant threat to the health and safety of nearby residents.
Lead contamination poses notable threats to public health. According to the World Health Organization, children are particularly vulnerable, as the heavy metal can affect their development and learning abilities, while adults may face toxicity symptoms like headaches, high blood pressure, joint and muscle pain.
The report’s alarming statistic brings into question the efficacy of the state’s cleanup efforts. Since 2016, around $251 million has been allocated to remove contaminated soil from yards within a 1.7-mile radius of the former Exide plant. Originally aiming to clean up around 2,500 properties by mid-2021, the latest findings imply that the hazards persist despite the intervention.
“The numbers are shocking but not entirely surprising,” states Dr. Jill Johnston, an environmental health scientist at the University of Southern California. She further elaborates, “It just reaffirms what many community members have been saying for years – they don’t feel protected.”
The recent study, conducted by researchers from UCLA’s Institute of Environment and Sustainability, seems to highlight the inadequacies in the current cleanup methods. The team examined 50 properties in the Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles neighborhood, which led to these distressing findings.
Highlighting the report’s implications, the lead author of the study, Professor John Froines, explained, “We’re talking about the need to potentially re-clean yards, but more fundamentally, we’re pointing out that the current cleanup approach is flawed.”
According to Froines, the DTSC often removes a limited, shallow layer of soil without recognizing that contamination may exist deeper. Replacing this layer with clean soil gives the illusion of remediation – yet lead particles persist below, posing continued health risks.
The findings point to the need for more comprehensive approaches to lead contamination cleanups. Referring to the DTSC’s narrow focus on yards, Froines adds, “What about schools? What about parks? It’s not enough to just look at residential properties– the problem is broader.”
In response to the findings, the DTSC has affirmed their commitment to protecting the affected communities. Spokesperson Russ Edmondson stated: “We’ve made significant progress in our cleanup, and we want nothing more than to see families living, working, and playing in a safe environment.”
As the study makes an unsettling point on the state of environmental safety, residents and experts alike echo calls for a more profound reconsideration of contamination cleanups. The fight against lead poisoning, it appears, is far from over in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the data indicates a crucial need for strategies that uproot contamination from all corners, ensuring a safer future for the city’s generation next.
Original Source: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-remediated-los-angeles-yards-exceed.html
