Metal mixtures found in the leftover smoke, ash and debris from the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires were harmful to the lung health of people living nearby long after the burning ended, a new study says.
asserted
study → find → people
The work shows that major wildfires, which are worsening with the planet’s warming, could have lasting effects beyond immediate exposure.
uncertain
which → show → exposure
Post-wildfire air quality needs to be monitored longer term, the research suggests, and recovery efforts need to consider what might remain in contaminated soot, residue and dirt well after burning stops.
uncertain
burning → need → soot
The wildfires, caused by wind spreading a brushfire spurred by downed power lines, burned on the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023, destroyed the town of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people.
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wildfires → cause → people
New research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday found higher metal levels, associated with respiratory harm, in nearby residents up to a year and a half after the fires.
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research → publish → fires
University of Hawaii researchers studied the urine of 1,400 adults and found substantially elevated concentrations of metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper and antimony.
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researchers → study → arsenic
Burned buildings, cars and electronics can release harmful chemicals
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buildings → burn → chemicals
These metals could be the result of burned buildings, vehicles, electronics and other materials lost in the wildfires, the researchers say.
uncertain
researchers → burn → wildfires
They can cause a different human impact than simply the burned vegetation that is typically studied after fires of this magnitude.
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that → cause → magnitude
“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,” said Alika Maunakea, the study’s co-author and an anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
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Maunakea → deal → Hawaii
The researchers found antimony nearly 40 times higher in the Maui participants than U.S. biomonitoring data.
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antimony → find → data
They found manganese 3.8 times higher, barium 2.3 times and arsenic 2.2 times.
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manganese → find → ?
Having more metals in the body was more likely to result in abnormal lung function, such as having less breathing capacity and difficulty moving air in and out of one’s lungs, during standard breathing tests, the study found.
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study → have → tests
Those lung effects aligned with the geographic distribution of smoke and ash; those nearest to Lahaina, and Wailuku and Kahului, experienced a different impact than in those near Kula.
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those → align → Kula
“It’s really important to identify potential sources of these exposures and to mitigate and reduce potential risks for re-exposures that might be contributing to these effects,” Maunakea said.
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Maunakea → ’ → effects
“What happens to the land and environment can shape what people breathe, take into their bodies, and develop over time.
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people → happen → time
The consequences of that can unfold over many years.
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consequences → unfold → years
Warming planet can worsen wildfires
Wildfires are getting larger, more intense, faster-moving and more frequent in certain parts of the globe, experts say, in part due to the warming and drier weather associated with climate change.
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experts → warm → change
Human-caused climate change has upped the likelihood of many major fires around the world in recent years and led to fires in regions that typically do not see them as often.
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that → cause → them
The researchers did note a limitation of the study in that it cannot assess exactly how much of the impact came directly from the wildfires versus chronic or other exposures — such as Hawaii’s geology, diet, historic agricultural and industrial activity and environmental sources — given there is no comparable data from before August 2023.
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much → note → August
However, previous studies have also found significant long-term human impacts from wildfires and other environmental crises.
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studies → find → wildfires
The impacts have included lung issues and mental health issues such as depression.
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impacts → include → depression
These climate-related disasters can change the environment in ways that continue after the immediate emergency is over,” said Ruben Juarez, study co-author and professor of health economics at the university.
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Juarez → relate → university
“Floods, hurricanes, fires, and other disasters definitely can disturb soil, debris, buildings, and legacy contaminants that we have in Hawaii, creating these pathways for exposure. …
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we → disturb → exposure
Disaster response should not stop when visible danger is gone.”
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danger → stop → ?
Dr. Kekoa Taparra, a physician and assistant professor who studies chronic diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the research expands our understanding of the health burden of the fires, particularly over an extended period.
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research → study → period
“This type of work echoes that climate-related disasters affect human health well beyond the immediate injuries and deaths we see during the event itself,” said Taparra, who was not involved in the study released Monday but has studied the health impacts of disasters.
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who → echo → disasters
“Historic wildfires in Lahaina and even Los Angeles have highlighted how these disasters can produce longer-lasting consequences through displacement, disruption of healthcare and social networks, environmental exposures, and potentially increased mortality.
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disasters → highlight → networks
“As these events become more frequent and severe, understanding and measuring their full health impact will be essential to building more resilient communities and health systems.”
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understanding → become → communities
The Aporia
