Asbestos

Maui Wildfire Data: Air

Asbestos in Lahaina

Click here to download the complete set of asbestos air monitoring data.

Air page text and figures are current through July 2024. For most recent data, click here.

Asbestos refers to different types of naturally occurring mineral fibers. The fibers were widely used for decades in products like car brakes and construction materials, including insulation, tiles, and shingles. Asbestos fibers are extremely resistant to heat and are not readily destroyed by fire, which is likely why some asbestos fibers have been identified in the ash at Lahaina. At high levels of exposure over long durations, breathing in asbestos fibers can cause cancer and other health effects.

Health Findings

Even though asbestos has been found in some Lahaina ash samples, the amount of asbestos in the air has been too small to detect. In fact, not one of the air samples that DOH has collected in 2024 has contained asbestos fibers at levels that can be reliably measured. People in Lahaina are not being exposed to airborne asbestos at levels of health concern. Further, USACE has sampled air at its worksites in and near Lahaina, and their measurements are all below occupational exposure limits.

Recommendation to residents

Continue to protect yourself from asbestos fibers and other harmful substances in ash. If you are near a location where there is visible dust or if the ash will be disturbed, you can limit the amount of asbestos fibers you might breathe in by either temporarily leaving the area or by wearing a snug-fitting dust mask or N95 mask—look for the words “NIOSH Approved” printed on the mask. Read more about how to protect yourself in DOH’s Maui Wildfires Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution fact sheet.

What is being done to reduce asbestos exposures

Many steps are being taken to make sure no one is exposed to unhealthy levels of asbestos. Soiltac® has been sprayed on the ash to keep it in place, and debris removal and TDS Site operations use various strategies—like water sprays—to control dust and keep ash out of the air. DOH collects daily air samples at four locations in Lahaina, and a laboratory checks those samples for asbestos fibers. DOH reviews the air sample results as soon as they are available to make sure airborne asbestos does not reach unhealthy levels.