What Noah Found in His Blood
Noah Haggerty wanted answers after months of wildfire coverage. What he uncovered ran deeper than any blood test could show.
Altadena, CA - St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church
Under a canopy, surrounded by others who were both nervous, and hopeful, sat LA Times environmental reporter Noah Haggerty. It had been four months since he started reporting on the Palisades Fire.
He sat there for the same reason hundreds of others had shown up:
To find out if there was lead in his blood.
In his article, he found more than what he was looking for.
“I watched my blood snake through the tube stuck into my arm,… as I sat under a canopy erected by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health at an Altadena church.”
Noah has covered multiple fires, including the January 2025 wildfires in the Palisades and Altadena.
He had not done renovations to his own home.
He had no known industrial lead exposure.
What he had was:
TIME SPENT IN THICK SMOKE AND ASH.
"A 20-foot-tall flame staring at you through the windshield is a very tangible risk. The lead lurking in the air and soil is a different story. It is invisible and damages our bodies in complex ways. And that damage happens quietly."
His blood test revealed 1.6 micrograms of lead per deciliter. That number is below the CDC’s official threshold of 3.5, but above the national adult average of 0.8.
“Technically, no level of lead in the blood is safe, but we all live with it in our blood.”
He also asks:
“What is an acceptable level of exposure for a reporter, a firefighter, a resident? What about for a child?”
Psychological Toll (Sorry if I get a little nerdy here)
No amount of research or speaking to people could help prepare Noah for the one thing the government insists doesn’t exist. The invisible risk of toxic fallout. The question he couldn’t answer for himself:
Would he move back to the burn zone?
The answer was, even if he had to, he didn’t know if he would.
After speaking to psychologists Wandi Bruine de Bruin and Dr. Michael Crane, he came out with two conclusions:
“Our brains struggle with layered environmental threats.”
“Peace of mind comes from taking action on what you can control.”
Both explain to Noah what are called “Mental Models”/Risk Communication Theory and Action-Oriented Coping Theory. (These insights draw from the work of Baruch Fischhoff, Paul Slovic, and others in the field of risk psychology, and from trauma-informed public health practices shaped by leaders like Albert Bandura and Michael Crane.)
But, what happens when the fires go from being something you report on to something personal?
You experience a shift in thinking. The uncertainty expressed by the leaders, those in the place of authority, and the science makes you start questioning, am I okay? Am I safe?
In the theories mentioned above, the solutions are simple:
Authorities must clearly and proactively communicate information about the invisible risks.
Fire survivors need plain-language information and timely updates.
Trauma from the fires isn’t just about what has happened but from what is not said. Transparency & acknowledgement is required.
Control = relief. Tangible next steps help restore a sense of agency.
Trauma layering must be taken into account during community messaging.
Communities need long-term and accessible support that validates not only the emotion toll but the existential one as well.
What is the big deal about lead?
Once lead, a heavy metal, enters the bloodstream, it attaches itself to red blood cells. Red blood cells travel throughout your body. So the lead that is attached to those cells gets a free ride to everywhere in your body. If it does not get removed in time, the lead will store itself in the bones and teeth where it can stay for decades before later redistributing itself back into your bloodstream during times of stress, illness, and/or pregnancy.
This story is not just about a number or one reporter’s blood. It is about responsibility, silence, and the need for systems that can actually measure harm and inform the public of potential danger.
Noah’s reporting helps show why we need better data and real accountability for what wildfire smoke does to the body.
🔗 Read Noah’s full story in the LA Times
As survivors, we already know, regardless of what’s in our bloodstream. The damage is already there.
Psychologically.
Physically.
Eternally.
If you have not been tested, please know that there are free services to get tested.
LA County Department of Public Health’s partnership with Quest Diagnostics.
You can:
Call 1-800-LA-4-LEAD (1-800-524-5323)
Request a free blood lead test
No proof of income or insurance is required, though many insurance plans also cover lead testing
Additional info and locations are available on the LA County Public Health lead page.