Test results of ash from burned homes in Upcountry Maui show three toxic substances above safe levels, including an extreme amount of arsenic.
The preliminary results were shared by the state Department of Health on Sunday, and represent the first measurement of toxic substances in ash resulting from the Aug. 8 wildfires that destroyed most of Lahaina and 19 Upcountry homes.
Dr. Kenneth Fink, the agency’s director, said the results weren’t surprising, but show that public health guidance on avoiding exposure should be followed in Lahaina, where roughly 2,200 structures were destroyed.
“We believe these sample results may be generalizable to the materials that were burned in Lahaina, so we wanted to share this information as quickly as possible with the people of Lahaina,” he said Sunday during a media briefing.
Based on the test results, DOH recommends that Maui County make dust screens around burned areas higher and use water misters to protect adjacent residents until the planned soil stabilizer Soiltac is applied. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to start applying Soiltac in Lahaina as soon as this week.
DOH also now strongly recommends that the county not allow property owners to search for things using sifters if their property is next to inhabited areas.
DOH staff collected samples from eight burned residential properties in Kula on Sept. 21 and received the test results from a contractor Friday night.
The results, which remain subject to validation, show that the amount of arsenic was 140 times higher than a safe level. The two other hazardous substances found at unsafe levels were cobalt, at 20 times an acceptable level, and lead, at three times above an acceptable level.
Fink said people living or going to school nearby should be safe as long as ash isn’t disturbed and transferred by air or other means to them. About 10 air monitors have been set up in Lahaina and can detect particles such as ash. So far, the monitoring, which can be viewed at fire.airnow.gov, has shown consistently safe air.
For Lahaina property owners being allowed to visit their homes or businesses that were destroyed or damaged in the fire, Fink repeated past advice to wear personal protective gear being provided and to disturb as little as possible.
“All of these things (arsenic, cobalt and lead) at a high enough exposure are potentially toxic,” he said, “and we … believe that with the precautions that we’ve been communicating, that people are able to really reduce their exposure and remain safe.”
The agency has previously warned that debris and ash from the fires might include asbestos, arsenic, lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins or other hazardous substances that pose health risks because dust, dirt or soot containing such substances can become airborne if disturbed.
DOH plans to collect hundreds of ash samples in Lahaina and have them tested after the EPA is done removing household hazardous materials from burned properties.
Meanwhile, state schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said Sunday that plans for students to return this week to three Lahaina school campuses remain unchanged.
The three schools are about seven blocks mauka of a burned residential section of Lahaina. School staff returned Oct. 6, and students at Lahainaluna High are scheduled to return today, followed Tuesday by Lahaina Intermediate. On Wednesday, Princess Nahienaena Elementary school is scheduled to reopen for its students and students from King Kamehameha III Elementary, which was damaged beyond repair in the fire, which killed 98 people.
“We’ve been reassured that our Lahaina campuses are safe for students and staff to be at, based on current air quality conditions and the extensive environmental testing we’ve done over the last several weeks,” Hayashi said. “We’ve always operated as though the ash in Lahaina or structures burned were toxic. … Based on new DOH testing from the Kula fire, as Dr. Fink shared, we now have more information that confirms the concern about the ash and dust in the area where structures burned. We’ve been reassured that the likelihood of the conditions at schools will become harmful in the near future is very low.”
Hayashi said precautions taken include interior and exterior professional cleaning at the three campuses, the installation of a weather station at Lahaina Intermediate, hand-held air monitors to supplement the fixed monitors, and planned surface testing. Soil and water on campus also have been tested and found safe.
TEST RESULTS
The first number represents the amount of the toxic substance in milligrams per kilogram found in ash samples. The second number is the acceptable amount.
Substance … Detected … Acceptable
Arsenic … 3,193 … 23
Lead … 688 … 200
Cobalt … 85 … 4.7
Correction: Values for cobalt and lead were transposed in the test results chart in an earlier version of this story.
