Students in the Los Angeles area affected by the wildfires are starting to return to classes now, but not everyone thinks the schools are ready for kids to return.
A parent of children in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) recorded videos and shared them with The Associated Press, displaying the conditions in a school her children attend. Her videos show plenty of ash and soot still inside the school.
In the article, parents are calling for the schools to conduct air quality tests and test ash samples to see what kinds of toxins they contain before reopening. Some parents are sending their kids back to school with masks. Others still are under advisory to not drink tap water and are providing bottled water.
Schools, though, are taking the necessary steps to bring kids back. The Pasadena Unified School District emailed parents to say that 38 tons of outdoor debris has been hauled away and continues to clean and sanitize the schools before reopening.
The long-term health effects of exposure to toxins from fires like the Los Angeles and even Lahaina fires in Hawaii from 2023 are still being debated, but many of the chemicals released into the atmosphere can lead to heart and lung issues.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facility market.
