Kailini Ross holds a box of albuterol, a medication to prevent shortness of breath, in Lahaina, Hawaii on May 2. Ross has been suffering from multiple respiratory issues since last year’s wildfire. MUST CREDIT: Mengshin Lin for The Washington PostJune 1, 2024, 10:15 a.m. ET
In their report, the researchers noted the study’s limitations, including the fact that it may not be “broadly representative of all individuals affected by the wildfires” and lacks some pre-fire baseline data for comparisons. The study also depended on self-reported findings, which could introduce bias into the result, “with participants potentially offering responses they perceive as more socially acceptable rather than their true experiences.
Fed by dry grasses and fanned by ferocious winds, the Maui blaze demolished much of Lahaina, killing more than 100 people. It tore through thousands of old homes and commercial buildings, incinerating batteries, electrical equipment, cars, and other pollutants. Ever since, trade winds have been stirring up and blowing that debris into neighborhoods that survived the fire.Yet questions remain about the degree that local residents are exposed to toxic contaminants.
“What the Lead Screening Report results showed is that lead is not being found in clinically significant levels in people,” Stephen J. Downes, the department’s director of communications, said in an email. “This is reassuring … the contaminants are not getting into people’s bodies in concerning amounts.”
surround much of the charred neighborhoods, largely hiding them from view. New housing projects have broken ground. The shopping center is revamped and freshly painted, with stores selling sunscreen and key chains to tourists, who are again enjoying happy hour on Front Street.As the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study details, the fire crippled the island’s health-care infrastructure, with a particularly heavy impact on Native Hawaiians, Latinos, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos.
In February, around the six-month mark when researchers began surveying residents, the Maui Community Mental Health Center saw a big uptick in people seeking help. Some were unable to sleep, still hearing screams in their dreams, having panic attacks when a siren wails, or feeling guilt they had survived while so many others did not, said John Oliver, a program manager.