‘God knows what’s in the water’: Los Angeles surfers in limbo as wildfire toxins linger

In a city where surfing is a way of life, the wait to get back in the water has been agonizing. But new research offers a glimmer of hope

Alex Sinunu was used to surfing three or four times a week in Santa Monica Bay - after all, the beach was just a mile from his home and he could ride his bike there with his board. But ever since the megafires that swept through neighboring Pacific Palisades in early January, the ocean has been filled with ash, debris - and endless questions.

The massive blaze consumed thousands of homes and other structures, many of them on the edge of the Pacific coastline. Subsequent rainstorms sent tons of debris washing into the ocean, turned the water brown and raised fears about the toxins that could be coming from all the charred remains of buildings and cars - including asbestos, lithium-ion batteries and plastics.