A growing body of research has demonstrated that wildfires leave a trail of toxic chemicals behind. If local governments don’t take proper precautions to contain and eliminate the contamination, residents risk being exposed to dangerous concentrations of air- and water-borne chemicals for months or years, even if their homes escaped damage from the fires. According to disaster-relief experts, quickly communicating these risks to locals is the best way to keep people safe.

The Hawai’i Department of Health and Maui County have tested the water for some contaminants, warned residents not to drink tap water even if it’s boiled, and recommended people wear personal protective equipment when sifting through debris. But people living in parts of West Maui and the island’s Upcountry region told Grist that what they’ve heard from local officials has been spotty and confusing, leading some to continue bathing and washing dishes in water that could be contaminated. Many say they feel that local officials have left them to fend for themselves.

“Number one, they are overwhelmed,” said Kurt Kowar, the director of public works in Louisville, Colorado, referring to officials at the Hawai’i Department of Health and the local water utility in West Maui. “And number two, they don’t really understand the science on this yet. There’s no manual to pull off the shelf.”

Much of what is known about post-wildfire contamination is relatively new. In October 2017, the Tubbs Fire shot through Santa Rosa, California, destroying more than 5,000 homes and buildings and burning more than 36,000 acres. When residents began to trickle back into Santa Rosa a month later, the local water utility got a call about a bad smelling tap and decided to conduct some precautionary testing. To their surprise, the results revealed concentrations of the toxic chemical benzene at levels that the state deems unsafe for consumption.

Read the full article about toxic risks of Maui wildfires by Lylla Younes at Grist.