January 8, 2024 Update:
All sampling results from the asbestos air and surface wipe sampling conducted at a total of nine parks on December 14 and 22, 2023, were determined to have no detectable levels of asbestos fibers present, with the exception of one surface wipe sample collected at Harvard Park. This sample result was a concentration of one chrysotile asbestos fiber. The laboratory's lower limit of detection of asbestos fibers for the ASTM analytical method for a surface wipe sample is 2.99 asbestos structures. Therefore, the detection of a single asbestos fiber is actually below the lower limit of detection for the analytical procedure. The finding of one fiber in one single sample/location is consistent with ambient, background levels of asbestos found in the environment.
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) AHERA is the EPA regulation that applies to all public and private nonprofit elementary and secondary schools (i.e., Kindergarten through high school). The AHERA asbestos air sampling clearance criteria is less than (<) <70 asbestos structures per square millimeter (s/mm²) and < 0.02 asbestos structures per cubic centimeter (s/cc) when at least 1,199 liters of air is collected on the air sample. Based on the AHERA EPA air sampling clearance criteria, for the collected surface wipe samples, the detection of one asbestos fiber settled onto a surface in one park/location would not be a concern.
November 29 Update:
The City of Irvine conducted air quality and surface testing activities on November 20 through November 22. The air quality and surface testing results for all nine parks included 54 different tests at various locations across nine different City facilities, closest to the Tustin Hangar. All the tests came back negative except for one sample at one park, which had a detectable asbestos fiber. That park was Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park, and of note, the finding of the fiber in one single location is consistent with ambient, background levels of asbestos found in the environment.
The one fiber test result at Bill Barber Park was also well below the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) clearance criteria. AHERA is the EPA regulation that applies to all public and private nonprofit elementary and secondary schools (i.e., Kindergarten through high school). The AHERA asbestos clearance criteria is <70 structures per square millimeter (s/mm²) and < 0.02 structures per cubic centimeter (s/cc) when at least 1,199 liters of air is collected on the air sample.
Based on the AHERA EPA criteria, all areas identified and tested in Irvine, including at Bill Barber Park, are safe environments. Out of an abundance of caution, the City conducted a cleaning of all surfaces in the park, and we will be conducting additional testing in the coming weeks.
November 20 Update:
The City of Tustin has compiled the following information to keep residents informed about the North Hangar Fire cleanup, closures, landscaping guidance and other key information. Work has commenced to extinguish all remaining hotspots of the hangar fire, and the west-facing wall has been deconstructed. At the present time, no action will be taken on the hangar doors or concrete pillars, which will be addressed upon completion of this first step. A plan is being developed to stabilize the doors in place for the safety of our workers and the public. Visit tustinca.org for detailed information.
The City of Irvine began air quality and surface testing activities in nine of its parks on Monday, November 20, and will conclude by Wednesday, November 22.
November 14 Update:
Effective Tuesday, November 14, 2023, a new call center for the Tustin Hangar Incident is operational. The call center will be available from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily. After 7 p.m., community members will have the ability to leave a message that will be checked every morning with follow up as needed.
The Incident Management Team has also launched a new debris reporting portal. Anyone who believes they have debris from the Tustin Hangar Fire Incident, regardless of what city they reside in, is encouraged to utilize the portal or call the new call center. The portal can be found on the Tustin Hangar Incident website. This new portal is linked to GIS mapping and will allow operational personnel to better allocate resources to the impacted areas to increase efficiency.
November 12 Update:
The City has been closely monitoring details related to the Tustin Hangar Fire, paying particular attention to any possible health concerns and impacts for Irvine. During the past several days, City representatives have maintained close contact with the County of Orange, the Orange County Health Care Agency, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, all in an effort to understand if any safety risks exist while also keeping apprised of ongoing mitigation response efforts. City personnel have also been in close contact with our partners at the Irvine Unified School District regarding the situation to ensure that we are properly coordinating our local response.
Of particular importance, no health risks or impacts have been identified for Irvine. The Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) has not issued any public health orders or declared a public health emergency in response to the Tustin Hangar Fire, and there is no recommendation by OCHCA to cancel outdoor sporting events or outdoor activities. Guidance by health care authorities has indicated that the events and activities should only be canceled at locations where there is a known and confirmed presence of visible ash or particulates from the Tustin Hangar Fire.
Given that guidance, the City has deployed appropriate response measures to ensure community safety. City staff have been out monitoring our facilities, including sports fields and parks, and we have not seen indications of debris or ash at Irvine facilities. This is consistent with our expectations following the Santa Ana wind conditions from last week when strong winds were blowing in a south-westwardly direction and pushing fire residue from the Tustin Hangar Fire away from Irvine.
In an effort to further ensure the safety of our community, for the areas of Irvine on the western edge of our community located closest to the Tustin Hangar Fire, this week, the City will be deploying additional monitoring and testing activities utilizing independent third-party firms to assess if any additional response activities are necessary. Those efforts involve the following activities:
- The City has identified a perimeter within the community located near Irvine’s border with Tustin, as follows:
- South of the I-5 Freeway
- North of the I-405 Freeway
- West of Culver
- East of the City boundary
- Within that perimeter, the City manages 9 parks, including:
- Col. Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park
- College Park
- Flagstone Park
- Harvard Community Park
- Plaza Park
- San Marco Park
- San Carlo Park
- San Leandro Park
- Sweet Shade Park
- The City will be deploying enhanced monitoring of those 9 parks to monitor for any indications of ash and debris from the Tustin Hangar Fire.
- In addition, the City will be conducting additional environmental testing at each of the 9 park locations starting this next week to monitor for possible safety concerns.
The City is closely assessing this overall situation and we will be sure to keep the entire community informed if conditions should change. In addition, for more information about the Tustin Hangar Fire incident, including recurring updates and Orange County Health Care Agency guidance, please visit the Tustin incident website online at tustinca.org.
Photo courtesy of DigiPulse