Grant Helps LMU StudyLA Expand Wildfires Impact Program

Loyola Marymount University's Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from FireAid to assist residents impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires by facilitating indoor air-quality tests at affected homes.

The grant will enable StudyLA to expand upon its existing program that sampled and tested for lead, arsenic, and other toxins in soil samples from more than 3,000 properties over the past year and a half that were damaged in the fires. New funds will allow LMU to collect samples and test inside standing homes in the burn zones for wildfire-related contaminants. Ultimately the information will provide a clearer picture of potential indoor environmental impacts as residents return to their homes.

The project is a community-engaged research initiative to assess post-wildfire indoor air quality and provide actionable guidance to affected households. In collaboration with UCLA's Yifang Zhu, professor of environmental health sciences, the study will evaluate 100 homes impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

The StudyLA team is currently reviewing sign-ups to determine eligible properties. Researchers will visit properties to collect samples later this summer. Because the approach enables rapid, high-quality measurement, participants will receive timely, individualized reports summarizing results, potential health implications, and evidence-based mitigation recommendations. Aggregated, de-identified data will inform public health guidance and recovery planning.

To date, the StudyLA, in partnership with UCLA, has sampled and tested at 3,400 burned and standing homes in the Eaton and Palisades fire zones. More than 130,000 individual samples were collected resulting in over 9,000 composite samples to residents. As part of the efforts to provide valuable data informing public health guidance and recovery planning, StudyLA also worked with Class of 2026 student research assistant, John Kassabian, to map the aggregated, anonymized results.

LMU's Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles is one of the leading undergraduate research centers in the nation with extensive experience in conducting public opinion surveys, exit polls, leadership studies, community studies, and culture and climate assessments. Motivated by the university's commitment to pursuing justice and creating a better world for all, StudyLA produces meticulous data and thoughtful analysis as a resource to leaders and community stakeholders working toward making positive, transformational changes in their communities.