More than three years ago, wildfires destroyed the Hawaiian town of Lahaina on Maui and killed more than 100 people. Now, a new study suggests the flames may not have been the only thing that forever altered the island and the lives of its residents.
New research from the University of Hawaii found the wildfires’ effects may have extended long after the flames were extinguished and the smoke disappeared. Researchers say smoke from burning vehicles, buildings and other materials may have caused lasting damage to residents’ lungs.
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
What the study found
The University of Hawaii studied 1,400 Maui adults for six to 18 months after the wildfires and found “substantially elevated concentrations” of metals in their urine. Those concentrations led to abnormal lung function among residents, long after the wildfires.
Compared to other Americans, many Maui residents had 40 times more antimony, a silvery-gray metalloid chemical agent, in their systems. Their manganese levels were 3.8 times higher than the norm; barium, 2.3 times higher; and arsenic, 2.2 times higher.
Researchers say the high metal levels and abnormal lung function could result from inhaling smoke from burning metal during the fires.
“What we’re dealing with, especially in the aftermath of what we experienced in Lahaina, is a much more complicated mixture of these chemical exposures,” Alika Maunakea, the study’s co-author, told The Associated Press.
The study notes a caveat to the findings. Because there is no biomonitoring data from before the fires, researchers cannot determine how much of this exposure came from factors other than the fires, such as diet, existing environmental factors and even industrial and agricultural land use.
“What happens to the land and environment can shape what people breathe, take into their bodies, and develop over time,” Maunakea said. “The consequences of that can unfold over many years.”
Wildfires worsen across the US, increasing lung risk
Wildfires like the ones that ravaged Maui did more damage to buildings, vehicles and industrial items than typical fires, which destroy forests and wild grass. Still, a rise in all wildfires means more risk of toxins in the air.
A 2026 UCLA study found rising atmospheric dryness is driving a rise in wildfires. Those wildfires bring smoke and poorer air quality.
This summer, the U.S. saw hazardous-level air quality, particularly in the Midwest, due to wildfires in Canada. And as Straight Arrow previously reported, even limited exposure to wildfire smoke can irritate the lungs and worsen heart and respiratory conditions.
This isn’t the first time researchers have raised concerns about wildfires and their impact on people’s health, particularly their lungs.
Three studies published last year noted the dangers wildfires pose and suggested risk spreads beyond the flames. Smoke, damage to natural landscapes, and disruptions to medical aid during tragedies all play a role.
“This is bigger than wildfires,” the study’s co-author Ruben Juarez said, according to the AP. “These climate-related disasters can change the environment in ways that continue after the immediate emergency is over.”
He added that it’s not just wildfires, either. Floods, hurricanes and other disasters also disturb Earth’s soil and natural landscape, “creating pathways for exposure.”
“Disaster response should not stop when visible danger is gone,” Ruben said.
Round out your reading
- He built his own Flock-style camera to track police. The police didn’t like it.
- Trump’s apparent joke about letting Iran bomb LA and San Diego catches bipartisan condemnation.
- Grandparents are fighting for access to their grandchildren. Here’s what the law says.
- When the ‘victim’ is made with AI, child pornography cases get complicated.
- Fibermaxxing is trending. Here’s what the science says.
