RAPID: Levels of PM, VOCs, and PAHs in Residences Post-2023 Maui Wildfire: Exposure and Mitigation Assessment

On August 8, 2023, a rapid and devastating wildfire burned through the historical town of Lahaina (Maui) in the State of Hawaii. Early indications suggest that the Maui wildfire caused the release of hazardous chemicals and pollutants into the environment including particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the burning of vegetation, vehicles, and structures.

Although the Maui wildfire is now under control, its effects on air quality and public health will persist for months. This RAPID project will evaluate the impact of the released hazardous chemicals and pollutants on indoor and outdoor air quality in Maui residential communities that have been impacted by the wildfire. To advance this goal, the project team will recruit and work with 20 residential households to measure both indoor and outdoor fire-related air pollutants linked to various respiratory health problems including PM, total VOCs, and PAHs.

In addition, the project team proposes to assess the effectiveness of portable air cleaners, equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) and activated carbon filters, in reducing indoor exposure to these pollutants. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of data and fundamental knowledge about the immediate and long-term impacts of the Maui wildfire on indoor and outdoor air quality in the affected residential communities.

Such new data and knowledge would be critically needed to guide urban managers, public health officials, and emergency responders as they design and implement solutions to mitigate the immediate and long-term impacts of wildfires on air quality within affected communities. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training, including the mentoring of two post-doctoral research fellows at Harvard University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The Maui wildfire in the State of Hawaii caused evacuations and extensive destruction in nearby communities. Even though the wildfire is now under control, its effects on air quality and public health will persist for months. While past work has shown elevated levels of indoor air pollution post wildfires, and portable air cleaners to be effective at reducing indoor air pollutant concentrations to some extent, most of this work has focused on particulate matter and air quality assessments over relatively short periods of time.

In this collaborative RAPID project, a team of investigators from Harvard University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa propose to conduct field measurements and evaluations of air quality in 20 Maui residential households that have been affected by the wildfire. These will include indoor and outdoor fire-related air pollutant measurements along with a three-month evaluation of the effectiveness of portable air cleaners, equipped with HEPA and activated carbon filters, at reducing indoor exposures to fire-related pollutants.

The air quality measurements and evaluations will focus on particulate matter (PM), total volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as these pollutants are associated with wildfires and cause a range of adverse health effects. The specific objectives of the research are to 1) measure the concentrations and chemical compositions of PM, VOCs, and PAHs inside and outside the selected residential households, 2) estimate the fractions of air pollutants from outdoor sources that infiltrate the tested residential households, and 3) evaluate the effectiveness of portable air cleaners to reduce the indoor levels of the target air pollutants over a three-month period.

Collectively taken together, the data and knowledge generated from this RAPID project will advance the fundamental understanding of which fire-related pollutants are most elevated in certain types of residences and how effective portable air cleaners are as an intervention. The new fundamental knowledge generated from this project will inform the design of solutions to mitigate the impact of the Maui wildfire on air quality in affected residential households and support future responses to wildfire events nationwide.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.