UH researchers awarded $3.6M to study legacy pollution, health risks

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – University of Hawaii researchers are launching a new study into how decades-old environmental contamination may still be affecting people today.

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The five-year project received a $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and will examine pollutants left behind by Hawaii’s agricultural and industrial past.

Researchers will focus on contaminants including arsenic, lead, dioxins and substances related to so-called “forever chemicals,” particularly in areas near former sugarcane lands.

The study will also look at whether disasters such as wildfires and floods can disturb those pollutants and create new pathways for exposure.

“Hawaii has environmental exposures that are deeply connected to our history, but we still know remarkably little about what they mean for health today,” said Alika Maunakea, a professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The research builds on the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, which was established after the 2023 Maui wildfires.

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Researchers plan to enroll 1,000 Hawaii residents over five years and compare people with different levels of exposure to wildfire and legacy pollutants.

The team will use soil and water testing, biological samples, heart and lung assessments and geographic mapping to study whether environmental contamination is getting into people’s bodies and affecting their health.

Researchers will examine health measures including lung function, blood pressure and inflammation.

The project is being led by UH Manoa and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Researchers say the findings could help identify contamination hotspots in Hawaii and provide a model for other communities nationwide dealing with wildfires and historical pollution.

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