Health officials in Hawaii reported that testing conducted on residents in west Maui following last summer’s wildfires did not show evidence of widespread lead exposure. After the deadly wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina, blood samples were taken from 557 individuals, but only 27 tested positive for lead.
Further testing revealed that 15 out of the 27 individuals did not have elevated blood lead levels, indicating false positives in their initial screenings. The state health department emphasized that despite the devastating effects of the wildfires, the community did not show signs of significant lead exposure.
Dr. Kenneth Fink, the state Health Director, stated that the results were reassuring and indicated that there were no expected health impacts due to toxins in the wildfire ash. Lead is a heavy metal of concern that was found in high concentrations in the ashes of the wildfires, but the results of the testing did not suggest widespread exposure to the toxic metal among the residents of west Maui.