Marine life in Santa Monica Bay is at risk due to heavy metals released into the water following January’s Palisades Fire. According to Heal the Bay, a nonprofit organization, water-quality tests conducted in January and February revealed elevated levels of harmful metals such as beryllium, copper, chromium, nickel, and lead. These pollutants pose significant threats to marine mammals, fish populations, and other species in the food chain.
The tests, conducted at ten collection sites along Santa Monica Bay, also detected silver, arsenic, and zinc above average marine-health limits. These metals can disrupt biological processes, damage cells, and impair reproductive and immune functions in marine life. Heal the Bay has not declared the water safe for human recreational contact, though the water quality was better than expected for human health impacts from polluted runoff in burn scar areas.
The concentration of metals is likely due to heavy rains washing debris from burned structures and land in the Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu into the ocean. Heal the Bay urges authorities to expedite the removal of burned structures and debris from Pacific Coast Highway to prevent further contamination. “Every day that hazardous debris remains along the coast, more harmful contaminants flow into the sea,” said Tracy Quinn, President and CEO of Heal the Bay.
The nonprofit advises beachgoers to avoid beaches within fire-impacted areas and be cautious of sharp debris like nails and broken glass on the sand.
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