HONOLULU (KHON2) — The smoke has cleared, and the flames are long gone. But new research suggests the story of Maui’s 2023 wildfires may still be showing up inside some residents’ bodies.
A University of Hawaiʻi study of 1,400 Maui adults found elevated levels of several metals in urine six to 18 months after the August 2023 fires. Researchers also found an association between higher combined metal exposure and abnormal lung function.
Video shows winds whip through Maui, quickly spreading fire
The study — published Monday, Sept. 28, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — measured 24 metals and included standardized breathing tests.
Compared with United States biomonitoring data, Maui participants had nearly 40 times the reference level for antimony, 3.8 times for manganese, 2.3 times for barium and 2.2 times for arsenic…