Zinc, Arsenic, and Nickel in the Air Have Stayed Within Historic Levels Since Mar. 5, SCAQMD Says
By Chad Billmyer
Special to Canyon News
(The Canyon News approach to coverage of environmental issues can be found here.)
Since Mar. 5, levels of zinc, arsenic, and nickel in the air in Pacific Palisades did not exceed background levels recorded by a monitoring station in central Los Angeles that recorded toxic metals in the air in 2019.
Canyon residents can view data on 33 different toxic metals from two air monitoring stations in the Palisades at this link.
Zinc, arsenic, and nickel are culprits in the Netflix show Toxic Town. The show is based on the real-life toxic waste case in Corby, a British town about 90 miles north of London. A steel mill reclamation project between 1985 and 1997 resulted in airborne toxins. The children of pregnant women exposed to the toxins suffered from upper limb deformities at rates three times higher than surrounding areas.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) administers the air monitoring stations located at the intersection of Sunset and Los Liones Drive (Monitoring Site #1) and at L.A. Fire Station 69 on Sunset (Monitoring Site #2). According to SCAQMD, they selected the sites based on "mobile survey results, cleanup activity, proximity to sensitive receptors (such as residents and schools), meteorological conditions, and access to power and security for the monitoring equipment."
At present, SCAQMD reports data sets from Site #1 between Feb. 21 and Mar. 17, and from Site #2 between Mar. 3rd and Mar 17. Two tests in February and one test on Mar. 2 showed levels of arsenic that were higher than background levels, while all February test results showed levels of nickel that were higher than historic background levels. However, since Mar. 5, levels of zinc, arsenic, and nickel in the air have not exceeded historic background levels at either site.
For comparison, SCAQMD offers a background range for many of the toxic metals in the air. The background data stems from a 2019 project referred to as Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study V (MATES V). In that study, SCAQMD placed a "Central LA" air monitoring station at 1630 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, which serves as the historic background range when reviewing the new data collected in the Palisades.
Related URLs for additional reading and research:
https://xappp.aqmd.gov/WildFireMonitoring/Palisades_Interactive_NoRedLines.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corby_toxic_waste_case
https://www.aqmd.gov/2025-wildfire-response
https://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/news-archive/2025/DashboardLaunch-AirMonitorData.pdf
