Indoor air & household materials
Understanding persistent pollutants and evaluating ways to reduce exposure.
Explore researchOur current focus
After the flames,
the research continues.
We study what people breathe during and after wildfires—and how to reduce exposure as communities recover.
Led by Professor Yifang Zhu at UCLA, our group combines field measurements, laboratory analysis and modeling to understand air pollution. Our current work follows the 2025 Los Angeles fires from outdoor smoke to indoor air, household materials and neighborhood monitoring.
Explore wildfire research →
Los Angeles · From response to recovery
Measuring what remains.
Our team and collaborators collect air samples in fire-affected neighborhoods and homes, investigate smoke-impacted belongings, and make local particle measurements accessible through CAP AIR.
See the projects →Research with communities in mind
Community air monitoring
Connecting local measurements with questions about recovery.
Explore research
Urban fire response
Air-quality questions following the 2026 Boyle Heights warehouse fire.
Explore researchFrom our recent publications
Yao et al. · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · 2026
Indoor and outdoor volatile organic compounds
Read paper (PDF) →Chen et al. · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · 2026
Fine and ultrafine particles in the Eaton Fire burn zone
Read paper (PDF) →Kleeman et al. · Communications Earth & Environment · 2026
Airborne hexavalent chromium near cleanup zones
Read paper (PDF) →Li et al. · Environmental Science & Technology · 2026
Inequities in indoor wildfire PM2.5 exposure
Read paper (PDF) →Research in the news
Air pollution, electric vehicles and equitable benefits
September 1, 2026 · UCLA IoES Yifang Zhu discusses how measurements and modeling can help communities understand the air-quality benefits of vehicle electrification.
Read the report
Air-quality questions after the Boyle Heights fire
June 24, 2026 · UCLA Newsroom Zhu explains why understanding smoke from a warehouse fire requires more than a particle-count reading.
Read the reportOur broader mission
Bringing clean air to all.
Our wildfire research builds on a broader program in aerosols, transportation emissions, clean energy and environmental justice.