Long after the Maui fires, toxic metals linger in residents’ bodies — SkimNews
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- MauiWES researchers found elevated toxic metal levels in 1,400 Maui adults six to 18 months after the 2023 wildfires, with higher exposure associated with impaired lung function
- The study measured concentrations 2.2 times normal for arsenic, 2.3 times for barium, 3.8 times for manganese, and nearly 40 times higher for antimony — a flame retardant previously linked to lung irritation and stomach pain
- Alika Maunakea, MauiWES co-director and Kanaka Maoli, said researchers must distinguish fire-released contaminants from those already in the environment, noting "we are dealing with a much more complicated exposure environment" than smoke alone
- Noelani Ahia of Maui Medic Healers Hui, which mobilized nearly 600 volunteers during the disaster, said the catastrophe is "not over by any stretch" and the group's free clinic could use 10 more to meet community needs
- Earlier MauiWES research found more than 1 in 5 residents had reduced lung function — a baseline the new study builds on
- The project received a $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and plans to investigate contributions from past agricultural and industrial activity; participants receive their individual results and meet with health professionals
- Katie Kamelamela, a Kanaka Maoli assistant professor at Arizona State University, said "if we begin the story when the fire starts, we miss the decisions that shaped the landscape" — pointing to plantation agriculture, water diversion, and settler colonialism as compounding factors
Why it matters: The study of 1,400 adults found antimony at nearly 40 times pre-fire national averages — a flame retardant linked to lung irritation — but without baseline data, researchers cannot yet isolate fire-caused contamination from decades of plantation-era pollution, complicating both recovery and future wildfire prevention.
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