The climate crisis coupled with plastic pollution is supercharging the intensity of wildfires—increasing their frequency, temperature, speed, and devastation. Plastic and other forms of pollution are major threats to our health, environment, and drinking water at all times, but especially during wildfires. Here’s what to know about plastic pollution and other types of hazardous pollution that can contaminate drinking water during wildfires—and what you can do to stay safe.
Drinking Water is Often Contaminated During and After Wildfires
An estimated 1 in 6 US residents live in areas with “significant wildfire risk,” and, consequently, an elevated risk of drinking water contamination. While many communities impacted by wildfires have faced drinking water contamination, it was only after California’s super-destructive 2017 Tubbs Fire and 2018 Camp Fire that experts recognized that the toxicity of chemicals found in drinking water after wildfires can be “comparable to hazardous waste.” In areas with minimal damage, drinking water contamination after wildfires can last weeks to months; in harder hit areas, contamination can last for years.
Wildfires and plastic pollution contaminate drinking water in compounding ways.
First, surface water supply can be contaminated by a toxic runoff mixture of ash and flame retardant used to suppress fires, as well as chemicals from burnt structures and plastic items.
Plastic pipes also contaminate drinking water. Plastics—specifically polyvinyl chloride (PVC)—are commonly used in many parts of the water system, including storage tanks, service lines that connect homes to water mains, and water meters. But when these plastic parts start to get hot, even at just 200–250°C (wildfires can reach 1200°C during extreme conditions), they break up and release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the water.
For example, after the Tubbs and Camp Fires, drinking water chemical contamination was widespread in the water distribution network but not in the source water after the fire. Later analysis confirmed that plastic pipes directly released toxic chemicals, including VOCs, into the water they carried.
Once VOCs are released into the water supply, there is a long-term threat of contamination. This is because heat-damaged plastic can both leach and absorb toxic chemicals, creating the possibility of recontamination until all chemicals have been flushed out. This process can jeopardize water safety for months.
Contamination can also spread beyond directly impacted pipes due to depressurization. Depressurization often occurs during wildfires for several reasons. First, the extra demand needed from the water system to fight fires decreases pressure. Loss of power can also decrease water pressure. Decreased pressure and overall damage to the water system can cause contaminated water to be pulled into water mains, spreading toxic chemicals into otherwise unaffected parts of the water system.
Chemicals Released Into Drinking Water During Wildfires Harm Human Health
The potential for widespread contamination of drinking water poses serious health risks.
Benzene, a VOC and known human carcinogen, is one of the most common chemicals found in drinking water after wildfires. It is released into drinking water from smoke and soot, as well as burned plastic—especially plastic pipes. Levels of benzene in the drinking water after the Tubbs and Camp Fires reached “8,000 times the federal drinking water limit and 200 times the level that causes immediate health effects,” such as vomiting, dizziness, convulsions, and unconsciousness. Beyond cancer, benzene can cause chronic illness such as blood disorders and reproductive problems. One pediatrician and epidemiologist stated that the levels found after the Camp Fire were “high enough to acutely give a child a blood disorder.”
Benzene isn’t the only threat. Leading researchers warn that more than 100 toxic chemicals have been found in contaminated drinking water after wildfires. All must be tested and accounted for to minimize the health risks to communities that have experienced fires. When contamination is detected, the first action most municipalities take is to issue a water advisory to households connected to public water. Unfortunately, contamination in private wells often needs to be monitored and addressed by the private well owner, but local utilities and health departments may be able to help advise testing and treatment.
What to Know About Water Advisories
Water systems issue different types of advisories after crises contaminate drinking water supply. Advisories are typically categorized as “Boil Water,” “Do Not Drink,” or “Do Not Use.”
A “Boil Water” advisory is issued when boiling water is able to kill the identified viruses and bacteria in contaminated water. Importantly, boiling or filtering water is unable to remove the chemicals released into drinking water after wildfires. An alert from the City of Pasadena, which issued a “Do Not Drink” water advisory after the Eaton fire, stated that “boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting water stand will not make the water safe to drink.”
Scientists are clear that only “Do Not Use” water advisories should be issued after wildfires potentially contaminate drinking water, and should not be lifted until comprehensive testing for the more than 100 possible VOCs and SVOCs (semi-volatile organic compounds) has routinely proven that water is safe. Even in minimally impacted parts of the water system, it can require months of testing and flushing to ensure safe water.
Water systems can retain trust during that time through proactive, robust, and diverse forms of communication, as well as a clear issuance of the “Do Not Use” advisory at the beginning of a crisis. A survey conducted after the 2023 fires in Lahaina, Maui, found that all households “expressed concerns or confusion about drinking water safety.” The Maui County Department of Water Supply had issued an “Unsafe Water Advisory,” but many residents were unaware of such a recommendation. After the Tubbs Fire, delayed and incomplete testing caused utilities to change the severity of its water advisory from “Boil Water” to “Do Not Drink,” leading to mistrust and confusion among Santa Rosa residents who were impacted by the blaze. Improper communication can cause that mistrust to last for long after tap water is deemed safe and lead to needless, years-long use of plastic bottled water. Communities must be informed how wildfires damage water quality, and be provided safe alternatives immediately.
How to Stay Safe During a “Do Not Drink” or “Do Not Use” Water Advisory
The first step residents impacted by wildfires should take is to check their local water system for an advisory and find the recommendations for their unique area.
Unfortunately, the default Emergency Drinking Water Supply (EDWS) for communities after water systems issue “Do Not Drink” or “Do Not Use” water advisories is often plastic bottled water. This is partially because filters, which are the safest solution to protect against lead, PFAS, and other pollutants like microplastics in most scenarios, are unable to eliminate the mixture of toxic contaminants often present in water after wildfires. It is important to follow your water system’s local advisory and recommendations for acquiring safe drinking water, even if that means bottled water is your only accessible option after wildfires.
But plastic bottled water has its own serious health costs, releasing microplastics and plastic chemicals into our bodies, in addition to harming the planet. Further, despite bottled water’s institutionalization as the leading emergency drinking water solution, there are safer and less expensive alternatives.
- Plastic PET bottles are even more likely to leach toxic chemicals if they are recycled, or are kept in warm environments, are exposed to sunlight, or are reused.
- Pallets of plastic water for emergencies are often staged in hot warehouses.
- Bottled water takes an estimated 2,000 times more energy to produce than tap water. It also requires between 17 and 35 liters of water to make a single plastic bottle.
- The plastic water bottle industry worsens droughts and equitable water access, including in California.
- State and local governments buy emergency bottled water at market rates, which are up to 156 times the cost of tap water. This also leaves communities vulnerable to price-gouging.
- If state and local governments do not assume the responsibility of ensuring residents receive water, residents are left with the cost of buying enough bottled water to cover their needs.
States and local water systems can make system changes to wildfire preparation and response such that they do not need to recommend or distribute bottled water.
Local water systems can better ensure safe drinking water in emergencies without plastic pollution by:
(1) Considering the Distribution of Hauled and Bulk Water
States and municipalities should consider contracting one or more potable water tanker companies in advance to supply safe water after wildfires. This could be paired with hauling water from nearby water systems if they are determined to be unimpacted by the wildfires.
Hauled and bulk water can be distributed at various sites throughout an affected area in much the same way packs of plastic bottles often are, but municipalities should plan for diverse modes of reach to ensure equitable and accessible distribution.
Though many communities already use bulk water after emergencies, more research is needed on how best to plan and implement its distribution. The successful reach of similarly deployed portable water treatment systems, such as WaterStep’s Emergency Mobile Drinking Water Treatment System (used after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico knocked out some residents’ water access for months), proves a powerful example for the potential of hauled water. The need for safe drinking water without the health threats of plastic pollution calls for more attention, research, and investment to be put towards this solution.
(2) Installing Plastic-Free Pipes: Stopping Contamination at the Source
States and municipalities must replace PVC and PEX plastic pipes with safe materials, such as copper, that do not release toxic chemicals when exposed to high heat. Plastic pipes are a health threat at every stage of existence.
Manufacturing PVC uses highly toxic mercury, forever chemicals (like PFAS), and asbestos. These chemicals are released into the environment and accumulate in our bodies, causing a range of health problems, like cancer and lung damage. Other toxic substances and probable carcinogens like vinyl chloride and ethylene dichloride are released into the atmosphere during PVC production. Vinyl chloride was the extremely dangerous chemical that burned in the East Palestine train disaster.
Firefighters have urged “developers, builders and code officials to reduce and restrict the use of plastics in building construction,” including plastic pipes, further stating that “there are plenty of safe, sustainable and recyclable materials available today that don’t pose health risks to workers or the public.”
The EPA has echoed this call, as its Incident Action Checklist for utilities to consult after wildfires recommends the removal of all plastic pipes, meter boxes, meters, and tanks and their replacement with “more fire-resistant materials, like metals.”
As municipalities work to replace burnt plastic pipes, it is paramount that they do not replace the problem with its cause.
(3) Taking Additional Measures for States and Municipalities at Risk of Wildfires
- Form partnerships with neighboring water systems: Establishing relationships with other utilities in advance can aid in resource, staff, and expertise sharing when emergencies arise. Nearby safe water systems could also help provide hauled water to impacted communities.
- Provide housing to impacted residents: For those displaced by wildfires, temporary housing often serves as the primary mechanism for safe and reliable water access.
- Isolate contaminated pipes: Utilities can prevent the spread of contaminated water through the installation of one-way valves that can shut off water flow from damaged areas before they reach water mains. This practice could ensure greater use of tap water in nearby areas after wildfires.
Resources for People Affected by the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires
Wildfires can make water unsafe to use for months after initial impact. As communities begin to recover from the devastating, climate-crisis fueled wildfires that destroyed the lives and livelihoods of millions across Southern California, access to safe, clean water is vital. Below are resources to consult for more information on how the wildfires are impacting water quality in Los Angeles County.
- LA ist compiled a “Cheat Sheet” of information on current notices in LA County, types of advisories, distribution sites, and water system contacts.
- This Los Angeles County Water Systems Governance Map can help residents find which water system they are under, and is available for use in both Spanish and English.
Take Action
All of us, even those who are not immediately impacted by wildfires, face increasing health risks from our increasingly plastic- and chemical-filled landscape and culture. It is crucial that our government representatives protect people and the planet by holding polluters accountable with better pollution monitoring and regulation, and by mandating a drastic reduction in plastic and chemical production globally. A strong UN Plastics Treaty would expedite this necessary systems shift. Urge the leaders of the world’s biggest plastic-polluting country—the US Government—to support such an agreement to end plastic pollution today.
