VNR: TOXIC METALS FOUND IN MAUI RESIDENTS MONTHS AFTER 2023 WILDFIRES, UH STUDY FINDS

HONOLULU, Sept. 28 -- The University of Hawaii issued the following news release:

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The health consequences of catastrophic wildfires that burn through towns and cities may extend far beyond the period when flames are extinguished and smoke disappears, according to new research from the University ofHawaiʻiatManoa'sMaui Wildfire Exposure Study(MauiWES).

A study of 1,400 Maui adults 6-18 months after the August 2023 wildfires found substantially elevated concentrations of several metals in participants' urine, and also discovered that greater amounts of metals accumulated in the body was associated with abnormal lung function. Researchers measured 24 met...