The Department of Health (DOH) has disclosed the results of lead screening conducted at various community events between December 2023 and February 2024, targeting individuals affected by the Maui wildfires. The project was a joint effort between DOH Public Health Nurses and the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii (HMHB). Despite wildfire ash containing substantial concentrations of lead, the screening did not reveal any evidence of widespread human exposure to toxins in the ash.
"While the effects of the August 8 wildfires on the community have been devastating, it’s reassuring to know that people in the community are not showing elevated blood lead levels," stated State Health Director Dr. Kenneth Fink. "On the basis of these results with lead as an indicator of exposure, we do not expect to find health impacts caused by toxins in the wildfire ash."
Lead is a heavy metal found in significant concentrations in ash from the August 2023 Maui fires. High lead exposure is toxic to humans, necessitating routine lead screening for high-risk populations. Apart from wildfire ash, other sources of lead exposure can include lead-based paint, consumer products, and certain work environments and hobbies.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has established a Blood Lead Reference Value (BLRV) of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) to identify children with blood lead levels higher than most children’s levels. For adults, a BLL of 5 µg/dL or greater necessitates surveillance according to CDC’s Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program.
For this project, over 550 people were screened for lead exposure at 15 community events by DOH public health nurses and HMHB staff. Screening involved taking a blood sample from a finger-stick and evaluating it using Meridian Bioscience LeadCare II machines.
A total of 557 West Maui residents were screened for lead. Of those, only 27 (4.8%) had lead detections at 3.3 ug/dL or greater using the LeadCare II screening method. The confirmed lead detection rates across this population ranged from 0.9% to 2.2%, indicating that an elevated lead level was not detected in 97.8%-99.1% of those with potential ash exposure who were screened.
The extremely low prevalence of elevated lead, along with the low blood levels of lead detected, provides strong reassurance that the Maui wildfires did not result in clinically significant exposure to contaminants in ash at a population level.
More information on this study can be found at DOH Lead Screening Report – May 2024.