Evaluating the Health and Developmental Impacts of Wildfire Exposure on Children - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study – Children’s Cohort (MauiWES-Children) investigates the long-term health, developmental, and educational impacts of the August 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. The fires displaced over 12,000 residents, destroyed 2,200 buildings, and deepened existing inequities across Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and immigrant families. Preliminary MauiWES findings from 200 children reveal high rates of depression (50.5%), anxiety (29.5%), probable PTSD (15%), airway obstruction (43.2%), and academic setbacks, underscoring an urgent need for long-term investigation. We hypothesize that wildfire-exposed children will experience poorer physical, mental, and academic outcomes than unexposed peers, driven by toxicant exposure, chronic stress, and disrupted social environments, and that disparities will widen without early intervention. We will expand MauiWES by enrolling 400 wildfire-exposed and 400 matched unexposed children and follow them over four years. Integrating environmental, clinical, behavioral, and educational data, we will model trajectories of lung function, mental health, cognition, and academic performance to identify risk and resilience pathways. This first-of-its-kind longitudinal study unites environmental science, pediatrics, and social determinants research to define the biological, psychological, and social sequelae of wildfire exposure. Findings will inform pediatric mental health and respiratory screening, school-based recovery programs, and disaster-response policies, establishing MauiWES as a national model for protecting child health and resilience following environmental crises.
