Residents of Lahaina, Maui are facing uncertainty and concerns about their health and safety in the aftermath of a deadly wildfire that tore through the area in August. Daniel Skousen, a resident of Lahaina, is worried about the lingering smell of burning trash and the potential chemicals that created it. As he scrubs his home, covered in ash and soot, he questions the accuracy and bias of government agencies' assessments of when the air, land, and water will be safe for his family to return. There are fears that political and economic pressures to rebuild and restore Maui's tourism industry, which normally brings in $14 million per day, may lead officials to downplay any testing results that could deter tourists.

Skousen, who used to swim in the ocean daily, has only been back in the water once since the wildfire. Most of his home is covered in a thick coat of ash, but he hopes to move back in someday. Unfortunately, Skousen's neighbor's home burned to the ground. Skousen believes that a second opinion on the government's environmental assessments is necessary, preferably from an expert with a stake in the community. However, finding raw data on the long-term health effects of fires like the one that devastated Lahaina is difficult, and there are no national standards detailing how clean is clean enough for a residential home damaged by a nearby fire.

The August wildfire in Lahaina resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people and displaced thousands. Two months later, nearly 7,000 people were still in short-term lodging. The rubble left behind includes hazardous materials such as electrical cables, plastic pipes, and vehicle tires that emit dangerous dioxins when burned, as well as lead from melted vehicles or old house paint, and arsenic-laden ash from termite-resistant building materials. Similar situations were observed in Boulder County, Colorado, after a major wildfire in 2021, where even professionally remediated homes were found to still be polluted with ash and other toxic substances.

State and federal agencies have released regular updates on Lahaina's safety, but concerns remain. The water in much of the town is still unsafe to drink, and visitors are advised to use protective gear in impacted areas. Pregnant individuals and children are urged to stay out of the burn zone, although the Hawaii Department of Education claims that the schools, located above the burned area, are safe. Air quality monitors have been installed throughout town, and efforts are being made to prevent toxic ash from being washed into the ocean or blowing around.

Skousen and about two dozen other Lahaina residents have requested all records regarding residential testing of contaminants in Lahaina and their impact on human health from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, the EPA's response was disappointing, as they stated that no records could be located that were responsive to the request. The EPA claims to have done environmental hazard testing in the burn zone to assess immediate risks for workers involved in the initial cleanup, but further questions about long-term safety for residents were referred to the Hawaii Department of Health, which also claimed to have no records about residential testing of contaminants.

Residents are skeptical of the cleanup efforts and believe that information is being withheld. The EPA has stationed people in Lahaina to address community concerns, but some residents, like fine art photographer Andrew Shoemaker, are still hesitant to venture back into the burned areas due to health risks. Dioxins, which can be released when household materials are burned, are a particular concern for Shoemaker. Dioxins can have long-lasting effects on the human body, causing reproductive and developmental problems, immune system damage, hormone interference, and cancer.

While air quality monitors are effective in measuring particles smaller than the width of a human hair, there is still much uncertainty about the long-term health risks posed by fires. The post-fire smell can be a result of off-gassing, which occurs when volatile organic compounds are absorbed into surfaces and released later. Even with careful air quality monitoring, off-gassing can expose residents and cleanup workers to toxic fire emissions for months. Researchers have found that only some volatile organic compounds can be trapped by high-quality air particle filters.

Skousen, who works as a teacher and runs a cleaning business, has been dedicating his off hours to cleaning his and his neighbors' homes. He and his wife have decided to homeschool their children at their temporary residence outside of Lahaina to avoid potential health problems. Guidelines for human exposure to pollutants are primarily based on industrial settings, where people may spend 40 hours a week, rather than their homes, where they may spend 90% of their time. Determining whether a home can be made safe enough for residency depends on factors such as the resident's risk tolerance and the presence of young children or individuals with respiratory conditions.

Overall, Lahaina residents are facing ongoing challenges and uncertainties regarding the safety and long-term health effects of the wildfire. The lack of transparency and available data from government agencies has raised concerns among residents, who worry that political and economic pressures to restore the tourism industry may undermine efforts to thoroughly address the environmental and health impacts of the disaster.