Find timely responses to some commonly asked questions.
Facilities staff have been working to clear the grounds of debris and clean outdoor and indoor spaces of soot and ash. Facilities HVAC technicians are also replacing all outside air filters for residential properties, student housing, and academic spaces.
Facilities Cleaning Services and Grounds are following the cleaning guidance of the Los Angeles Public Health Department and the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. This includes lightly misting ash and soot prior to sweeping, using HEPA vacuums inside of all buildings, and wiping down and mopping all hard surfaces. Collected ash and soot is placed into a trash bag and disposed of. The College is also using a street sweeper to clean all roads and pathways.
The College regularly monitors EPA鈥檚 website , which provides real-time air quality information for the region. There are seven sensors located nearby the campus that the EPA uses to determine the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the area. The AQI for the campus has been good to moderate for the last few days.
All rooms are in the process of being thoroughly cleaned. If you return to a room with any soot, please submit a facilities work request through the portal.
The noticeable odor following a fire is primarily due to the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during combustion. Regular air filters, regardless of MERV rating, cannot capture VOCs. VOCs are not a pollutant of concern from wildfire smoke.
Many experts have stated that N95s should be worn after a fire event as AQI doesn鈥檛 fully capture all hazardous substances that a fire generates. The concern is that soil and dust in the Critical Fire Areas and adjacent locations will contain pollutants that will be easily aerosolized from foot, motor, or industrial traffic. The campus does not reside close enough to the Eaton Fire for concern. N95s only block particulate matter, and will not prevent odors from VOCs.
Particulate matter that is generally 2.5 碌m in diameter or smaller represents a primary pollutant emitted from wildfire smoke, comprising approximately 90% of total particle mass. They are small enough to get deep into the lungs and the tiniest, ultrafine particles can pass directly into the bloodstream. As wildfire smoke is a relatively short-term exposure (hours to weeks) typically experienced by the public, PM2.5 is the pollutant that can cause the greatest harm. The association between PM2.5 and heart and lung health effects is well documented in scientific literature. Heavy metal pollutants are also captured as PM2.5 in environmental assessments.
On Wednesday, Jan. 15th, 2025 Los Angeles County Public Health issued an order prohibiting the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris at fire damaged and burned properties located in Critical Fire Areas. Fire debris, ash, and dirt from residential and structural fires may contain asbestos, heavy metals, and other hazardous substances. Exposure to these toxic substances can occur through the inhalation of ash and fire dust particles, contact with skin, or contamination of drinking water supplies. 色界吧 is not implicated under the Public Health order as the campus is outside of any Critical Fire Areas. As the AQI has consistently stayed at low levels for the past few days, and Facilities has been cleaning indoor and outdoor spaces the campus should be safe for all faculty, staff, and students.
Children are a population that is especially vulnerable to wildfire smoke, pollutants and air quality impacts. Children actively play, and they inhale more air per body mass, thereby increasing their exposure to pollutants. The College is following public health guidelines from both Pasadena and Los Angeles to keep the children as safe as possible. Cleaning Services has thoroughly cleaned all indoor spaces, and Grounds did an initial removal of ash from all washable outdoor spaces prior to the children鈥檚 return. We are currently in the process of bringing in a professional fire remediation company to remove and replace multiple inches from the top layers of sand/dirt from the children鈥檚 play yards, as well as to power wash all outdoor surfaces. The Child Development Center will stay on alert for above-standard AQI metrics (current recommendations are to keep children indoors with an AQI of 100 or above), and will keep children inside if ash becomes visible or the smell of smoke becomes present. The CDC鈥檚 HVAC system uses HEPA filtration, and the Center is using additional HEPA filtration systems in each classroom, to maximize indoor air quality.