Nearly half of Pasadena Unified schools have contaminated soil, district finds

The Pasadena Unified School District has identified severe contamination in soil at 11 of its 23 schools, with lead and arsenic levels exceeding health-based standards. Over 40% of schools showed lead contamination above the state's allowable limits, while more than 20% had arsenic concentrations beyond acceptable county levels. Parents express concerns for their children's safety, emphasizing the risks of lead and arsenic exposure, especially near common areas like school entrances and lunch tables. This situation raises alarms about the long-term health impacts on students in affected schools.

"I'm worried about her safety," said Nicole Maccalla of her daughter, a sixth-grader at Octavia E. Butler Magnet, which is located less than a mile from the Eaton fire burn area. "I would really like to have assurances that she's physically safe while she's at school."

"If, literally, you've got to walk by lead to walk up the steps to school, then how many kids are walking through that with their shoes and then walking into the classroom?" Maccalla said.

Read at Los Angeles Times