The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) and its member companies have expressed concern for families and communities affected by the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The association reaffirmed its commitment to supporting policyholders during the claims process and recovery.
In response to two recent New York Times articles about how wildfire smoke damage is assessed and remediated, APCIA welcomed public attention on the topic but also highlighted what it described as significant shortcomings in the reporting. The association offered additional scientific and policy context to help consumers, policymakers, and media understand these complex issues.
“Returning home after a wildfire is an emotional and difficult milestone. Insurers understand these concerns and work to ensure remediation follows established professional methods. The goal is to ensure that homes are appropriately remediated and restored to pre-loss conditions. It is important to recognize that with indoor environments, pre-loss conditions typically may include some level of background particulate and chemical presence which naturally exists and is expected,” APCIA stated.
The association pointed out several scientific considerations it believes were missing from the New York Times coverage:
– Timing of testing matters because post-remediation clearance tests reflect conditions shortly after cleaning, while later tests can be influenced by regular household activity or environmental changes.
– Re-contamination through daily activities can reintroduce particles into indoor spaces regardless of how thorough remediation was.
– Substances such as heavy metals like lead or arsenic have multiple potential sources beyond wildfire smoke, including soil, consumer products, treated wood, foods, playground equipment, or even candies. APCIA cited a Florida health study showing that certain candies could exceed recommended annual arsenic exposure limits.
– Many chemical compounds found in homes are present regardless of wildfire exposure due to building materials, furnishings, personal care products, paints, appliances, outdoor air infiltration, cleaning products, or simply the age of a home.
– Hair testing cannot determine where or how exposure occurred; it only confirms contact with a substance.
“Taken together, these scientific limitations mean later detections may show correlation, not causation, and cannot on their own be used to conclude that earlier remediation was inadequate or that insurance obligations were not fulfilled,” APCIA noted.
APCIA emphasized that these points do not diminish the real concerns families experience after wildfires.
Regarding insurance coverage for smoke damage claims: “When smoke damage is covered under a policy, insurers routinely provide professional cleaning, remediation, and additional living expenses when appropriate.” However, APCIA explained there was no single universally accepted scientific standard for wildfire smoke testing at the time of the LA fires. The lack of standardization made interpreting environmental sampling results challenging for consumers and regulators.
APCIA clarified that property insurance generally covers repair or replacement of physical property but does not extend to outdoor environments like soil. Coverage usually applies to sudden accidental loss rather than ongoing environmental exposures. Each claim is reviewed individually based on its specifics.
Insurers acknowledged the complexity surrounding wildfire smoke claims due to evolving science and emotional circumstances. “APCIA continues to work with state agencies and scientific bodies to support rigorous peer reviewed consensus-based standards that protect consumers and provide clarity.”
The association said it aims to give clearer information about what professional remediation can achieve; what normal background conditions mean; differences between causation versus correlation; limitations of certain testing methods; and why science-based standards matter for both consumer protection and long-term affordability.
“Wildfire survivors deserve compassion, clarity, and confidence that their homes have been adequately remediated and restored to pre-loss conditions—in line with scientifically supported expectations for indoor environments,” APCIA stated.
Insurers said they remain committed to working with regulators scientists consumer advocates “to advance credible consistent standards that support families maintain access affordable insurance in wildfire prone regions.”
David A. Sampson serves as chief executive officer of APCIA according to its official website. The organization plays a key role in advocacy at state federal international levels offering compliance resources legislative updates events for industry professionals media resources research sector advancement (source).
APCIA represents home auto business insurers across all sizes structures regions protecting families communities businesses in the U.S. globally.
