“I am terrified about the health impacts and the future for everyone in Lahaina,” said Linz, the Lahaina Homeowner Recovery program manager for the nonprofit Hawaii Community Lending. Testing shows that Maui wildfire survivors who have been living or working in the burn zone are more likely to show evidence of long-term exposure to harmful heavy metals. Many of them also displayed lower lung function, higher blood pressure and worse mental healthcompared to survivors who lived farther away from the burn zone, he said. Ash samples collected from Lahaina and Kula after the 2023 wildfires showed dangerously high levels of arsenic, lead, antimony, cobalt and copper. Emeson worries that he could be breathing in harmful toxins every time he drives through Lahaina on his way to work.