{"id":184515,"date":"2023-10-03T11:58:16","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T21:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=184515"},"modified":"2023-10-03T12:01:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T22:01:34","slug":"maui-health-environmental-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/10\/03\/maui-health-environmental-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"Health, environmental impacts of Maui wildfires focus of briefing"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Damage from the August 8 wildfire stretches across Lāhainā.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Health risks in the aftermath of the August 8 Maui wildfires were outlined by University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa public health<\/a> experts in a briefing for Hawaiʻi<\/span> healthcare professionals. Catherine Pirkle and Rosana Hernandez Weldon of the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health<\/a> presented, “Environmental Health Impacts of the Maui Wildfires,” as part of an August 31 training webinar sponsored by the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Public Health Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Given the unprecedented nature of the environmental health risks faced by those affected by the Maui wildfires, our aim was to address some questions that have been circulating in the community and in the media, particularly related to toxic compounds, and most importantly, help spread messaging from the health authorities about health advisories and how to protect oneself from potential exposures,” said Weldon, an associate specialist who\u2019s research specializes in exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology of women, children and reproduction.<\/p>\n

Pirkle, an associate professor and global health researcher trained in epidemiology and health services, said there is little to no precedent for a fire like the one in West Maui. “While there have been large urban fires in other locations, such as Paradise, California, few have been related to hurricanes. This is relatively a unique concern,” she said. <\/p>\n

Examining key topics and preventing harm <\/h2>\n

Pirkle and Weldon provided an overview of basic environmental health topics, including how people are exposed to contaminants resulting from wildfires, populations who may be sensitive to health effects, and health concerns resulting from smoke, ash and water. These include, for example, human exposures to high levels of particulate matter, and to natural and manmade compounds such as heavy metals and volatile organic compounds. <\/p>\n

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Melted aluminum from a burned car. (Photo credit: Office of the Governor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n