Toxic Soil Lingers at Pasadena Unified Schools — and Removal Hasn't Started at Many

This article was first published by the nonprofit newsroom LAist on August 15, 2025 and is republished here with permission.

Students returning to school next week in the Pasadena Unified School District still won’t have access to certain areas on more than a dozen campuses because of toxins in the soil, seven months after the Eaton Fire.

In May, the district released soil test results, which found elevated levels of lead and toxic metals at 18 campuses and other district locations. The district told LAist in a statement then that cleanup efforts will be done before the start of this school year.

In a statement Friday, the district said soil removal has yet to begin at 12 sites, while soil removal is in progress at another six.

District officials said they still are working with state and local entities on guidance for remediation and to “ensure all efforts meet safety and regulatory standards.”

“Until any necessary soil has been removed, we're gonna continue to restrict access to those areas that have impacted soil, while we continue to work through those processes with our partners at the state and local level,” said Saman Bravo-Karimi, the district’s chief business officer, on Wednesday.

Bravo-Karimi said there wasn’t a firm date on when remediation efforts would be completed.

“ While we're putting safety first, we do want our students to have access again to their spaces as soon as possible,” Bravo-Karimi said. The affected areas — which range from planters to fields and play areas — will be closed off with fencing and signage.

The May results showed that the most common contaminant at elevated levels on campuses is lead, which is particularly harmful for young children. Even low amounts of lead in a child’s blood can affect cognitive development. Children can ingest or inhale lead dust from contaminated soil.

”We're again working in close collaboration with those regulatory agencies to confirm that everything is safe before we can reopen them,” Bravo-Karimi said.

Soil test results and where removal has started

Where elevated levels of lead were found in May:

• Allendale Elementary (soil removal in progress)
• Altadena Elementary
• Blair High School
• District Service Center
• Education Center
• Field Elementary
• Jefferson Childcare Center
• John Muir High School
• Longfellow Elementary
• Madison Elementary (soil removal in progress)
• Marshall Secondary (soil removal in progress)
• Octavia E. Butler Magnet
• San Rafael Elementary
• Washington Elementary (soil removal in progress)

Where chromium, arsenic, or other heavy metals were found:

• Allendale Elementary (soil removal in progress)
• Blair High School
• Field Elementary
• John Muir High School
• San Rafael Elementary
• Webster Elementary (soil removal in progress)
• Cleveland Campus (Aveson and Alma Fuerte Charter)