That's how one air quality expert describes the current public health situation in Los Angeles, where thousands are coping with destruction wreaked by the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Together, the fires have ravaged more than 37,000 acres since they broke out last Tuesday -- leaving over 12,000 structures, including homes, business, cars, and more, melted to nothing in their path.
And unlike California's usual wildland fires -- which have occurred in mostly forested, sparsely populated areas creating typical smoke and particulate matter pollution -- the public health ramifications of the current L.A. wildfires are much greater, experts say.
"There's all kinds of chemicals that you cannot see in the air. They are not measured by the Air Quality Index -- and they're extraordinarily toxic," California Communities Against Toxics executive director Jane Williams said in a recent public briefing. "We are literally in a race against time to stop the disaster after the disaster, and try to intercept these exposures that we know are already occurring."
Pollution created by the Palisades and Eaton fires differs from typical wildfire smoke largely because so many buildings and cars -- home to a host of potentially toxic materials -- were burned down.
Melted home electronics and vehicles, for example, are potential sources of exposure to toxic metals including lead, cadmium and aluminum, Williams said during the Thursday, Jan. 16 Coalition for Clean air briefing. Homes with furniture and building materials containing plastic and vinyl create volatile organic compounds when burned, she said.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District, the government agency charged with regulating and improving air quality for much of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernadino Counties, monitors the region's air quality for five major pollutants including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide -- but it doesn't account for ash from fires, nor other toxic compounds that may have been released into the air by the fires.
"(We're) really looking at the type of problems that occur when you've dropped a bomb on a city -- it's really unprecedented in the country's history what's happened here," Williams said. "So, this is what you're most likely breathing now if you live anywhere near any of the burn zones, and none of this will be monitored by any of the existing air pollution monitoring."
That essentially means that even when the AQMD's air quality index reads "good" or "moderate" -- the data isn't accounting for those toxic chemicals and ash.
The potential health impacts from the fire-related air pollution are varied. Small particles from smoke, dubbed particulate matter 2.5 or PM 2.5, can penetrate deep in the lungs and sometimes enter the bloodstream, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Exposure to particulate matter can exacerbate pre-existing pulmonary conditions such as asthma, cause heart attacks, decreased lung function, and even premature death, the EPA said. The California Air Resources Board estimates that particulate matter exposure contributes to the early deaths of about 5,400 Californians every year.
Though the risk of exposure is greatest for people in close proximity to the fires. Williams cautioned people eager to return to Pacific Palisades or Altadena to survey the damage to their communities to avoid doing so for the foreseeable future -- especially without any personal protective equipment.
"It is a very powerful sociological drive to return to your home -- and the problem is, that we we do not emphasize enough that you are breathing in particles that you cannot see, the Air Quality Index doesn't tell you they're there," Williams said. "But when you breathe them in, even for relatively short periods of time, they get lodged inside your lungs in your body, and have just enormous public health impacts."
Law enforcement officials have yet to allow residents to return to the remains of their homes in both Pacific Palisades and Altadena as efforts to contain both fires continue -- and the county prepares to safely remove hazardous debris from the areas.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, on Thursday, issued a new mandate prohibiting the removal of fire debris from affected areas until an approved government agency can perform a hazardous materials inspection.
"Fire debris, ash, and dirt from residential and structural fires may contain asbestos, heavy metals, and other hazardous substances," DPH said in its order. "Improper handling or disposal of fire debris can increase these risks, spreading hazardous substances throughout the community and endangering workers, residents, and the environment. Fire debris must be removed safely to prevent more harm."
That order, though, doesn't apply to the collection of personal property from residential sites. DPH advised anyone allowed to return to their homes to wear proper respiratory, eye, and skin protection.
For people around the immediate areas impacted by the fires, officials recommend monitoring local air quality data -- bearing in mind that not all pollutants are represented in that data -- and taking precautions based on if they smell or see smoke, or begin to experience adverse health reactions such as rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, runny noise, cough, chest pain and eye irritation.
"Ash will remain a concern in the communities near the fires, especially on windy days when winds blow over the burned areas," AQMD spokesperson Jack Chin said Friday. "If you see ash in the air, smell smoke, or if AQI levels are elevated, take precautions to avoid exposure."
In those cases, people are advised to wear a well-fitting N95 mask if they go outdoors, though it's best to stay inside and keep windows and doors closed, run an air conditioner or a high-efficiency air purifier, and avoid vacuuming, frying food, burning candles or using gas-powered appliances when air quality is bad.
Officials aren't sure how long air quality issues will persist in the Los Angeles region as a result of the fires, though it will likely be a concern for the foreseeable future.
"It is unclear how long windblown ash will be produced from these burned areas," Chin said. "We've seen ash transport from large burn scars on wildlands until vegetation grows over the area in the following spring. Rainfall and clean-up efforts will likely influence ash transport from burned urban areas."
Aside from monitoring the AQMD's Air Quality Index, a smoke and fire air quality data map is also available at fire.airnow.gov. This map, aside from PM 2.5 concentrations, also includes information about fire locations and smoke plumes.