LA Beaches Closed Due Wildfire Toxic Runoff
Written by Chriss W. Street
About 9 miles of the Los Angeles County coastline has been closed indefinitely due to toxic runoff of chemicals, especially lithium batteries destroyed in the Palisades fire. LA County Public Health Agency blamed overnight rainfall for creating a potentially new disaster from highly toxic debris and chemicals draining onto beach sands and into surf.
Health officials initially closed all LA County beaches through January 30th to aid first responders fight the wildfires. But the County has now taken the extraordinary precaution to declare an Ocean Water Closure to address hazardous contamination.
With rainfall runoff in burn-areas now known to contain toxic ash, dangerous debris, and carcinogenic chemicals, an extended closure will run from Surfrider Beach in Malibu, past Santa Monica, and past Dockweiler State Beach, to below the Los Angeles Airport.
The Health Department is also worried about the risk of elevated levels of fecal bacteria that were detected along the Malibu coastline after the 2018 Woolsey Fire. As a precaution, all county beach goers are being noticed to avoid ocean water contact for at least 72 hours after any significant rainfall.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a special warning (below) for returning residents to avoid intact or burnt lithium-ion batteries, that can explode or self-ignite to release known carcinogens such as nickel and cobalt compounds. Other dangerous battery chemicals include hydrogen fluoride, volatile organic compounds, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphorus oxyfluoride and sulfur dioxide.
I notice the Greenies aren't coming out in droves over the TOXIC debris from any and all the batteries flowing freely to the waterways & how this will affect the planet they so loudly have been pushing their agenda they've been brainswashed to think they are protecting. CRICKETS !!!!!
Putting the batteries of a game controller in the same category as a Tesla battery is a gross overreach. However, this is stuff they seldom discussed with touting electric vehicles. Consider how much smaller a Tesla battery would be vs the 18 wheeler's battery.