Health Issues

Cal Recycle will be removing structural fire debris and ash from the homes burned in the Hill‐Woolsey Fire beginning mid‐January 2019. Cal Recycle adheres to strict health standards during the removal process. These standards are designed to protect both the debris removal staff and the public. Homes built before the mid‐1970’s may have lead from […]

Robert Levin, MD, Ventura County Health Officer | Robert Levin, MD, Oficial Médico de Salud Pública del Condado de Ventura The number of cases of Valley Fever (or coccidioidomycosis), caused by Coccidioides immitis ebbs and flows annually but has increased over the last three or four years. Cocci (the abbreviated name for coccidioidomycosis or Valley […]

Wildfire smoke can irritate your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It can make you cough and wheeze, and can make it hard to breathe. If you have asthma or another lung disease, or heart disease, inhaling wildfire smoke can be especially harmful. See Full PDF   El humo de incendios forestales puede irritar los ojos, […]

All persons accessing burned structures should be aware of the potential hazards associated with those sites. Cleanup efforts at these sites may expose you to ash, soot, and fire decomposition products that can cause health effects including, but not limited to, eye/skin/respiratory irritation. If possible, try to AVOID direct contact with ash. If you get […]

A fire in a home can cause serious damage. The building and many of the things in your home may have been badly damaged by flames, heat, smoke and water. You may find things that the fire did not burn up but are now ruined by smoke and soggy with water used to put out […]

Ventura County Public Health Department cautions unhealthy air quality related to the multiple fires that continue to burn in our county. Air quality will be variable while there are active fires in the area and shifting winds. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, emphysema and heart disease are most […]

Eating food that has been involved in a fire can be dangerous and may cause illness to you and your family. Do not try to save food after a fire. Discard all food that has been near a fire. Food exposed to fire can be damaged by the heat of the fire, smoke fumes, and […]

VENTURA, Calif. – Due to the potential of widespread toxic exposures and threats to public health and the environment that exist in the aftermath of the Woolsey and Hill fires, the Ventura County Public Health Officer and the Director of the Environmental Health Division have declared a Local Health Emergency in Ventura County to limit […]