LIHU‘E — The Hawai‘i Department of Health recently found high levels of arsenic and dioxins in the soil of a Kilauea neighborhood located on the site of the former Kilauea Sugar Mill. The risk the toxins impose is low, but
LIHU‘E — The Hawai‘i Department of Health recently found high levels of arsenic and dioxins in the soil of a Kilauea neighborhood located on the site of the former Kilauea Sugar Mill.
The risk the toxins impose is low, but the concentration levels are high, said Gary Gill, DOH deputy director for environmental health, Thursday at a press meeting.
DOH found toxins on two A‘alona Street residential properties, with the highest concentration in a small drainage ditch behind the Old Mill Co. commercial building.
DOH said the risk is low because the soil in the most affected residential yard is covered with grass and clean soil, and the ditch is fenced and clearly marked to restrict access.
“We’re feeling more confident than ever that the health impact is nil to zero,” said Gill, adding that the DOH has spoken to doctors in the area who have been tending to the community for decades and found no issues reported.
“We haven’t had any reports of people getting sick,” Gill said.
Exposure hazards may arise from gardening and accidental soil ingestion. Symptoms of prolonged arsenic exposure at toxic levels may include changes in skin color, warts, rashes and cancer, he said. Children are at greatest risk, because they may play in exposed soils and may accidentally ingest contaminated dirt.
When DOH discovered a day care center located not far from the contaminated sites, “we quickly tested it and it came up OK,” said Fenix Grange, DOH supervisor for site discovery and remediation.
Gill said at least a teaspoon of contaminated soil would have to be ingested before experiencing acute health effects.
Sugar cane farmers once mixed arsenic with pesticide to manage crops. The DOH has been tasked through the Environmental Protection Agency to examine the soil near pesticide mixing areas at old mills across the state.
Kilauea Sugar Plantation, established in 1877, produced its last harvest in 1971. The mill was demolished in the 1980s, and the land was parceled into commercial and residential subdivisions.
The contaminated sites in Kilauea were found last fall by the DOH because of soil testing conducted by the agency based on research of historical plantation areas statewide, DOH spokeswoman Janice Okubo said.
DOH is using federal funds to conduct research and testing through their Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response office, Okubo said. The work is being conducted to identify possible areas where the public may be at risk from previously unknown exposure.
To date, 66 plantation sites have been tested. DOH has concerns in about 20 sites, Gill said, and there are eight sites that haven’t looked at yet. A county official estimated Kaua‘i has eight former sugar mills.
“This (Kilauea) site is the only one we know of where an old plantation site was knocked down and a subdivision was build on top of it,” Gill said.
The affected area is very small, he said, and although pesticides were used broadly, there is no evidence of broad contamination.
In Kilauea, DOH tested the top four inches of the soil and found one residence has arsenic levels about 30 times DOH action levels. The ditch was 80 times acceptable levels.
DOH said it has informed area property owners and held a private meeting at Kilauea Elementary School cafeteria on Wednesday evening to address residents’ concerns. Approximately 15 to 20 people attended, Gill said.
Residents expressed concerns about the impact on their health, their property values, as well as plans for clean up.
Further testing is required to determine the full extent of Kilauea’s contamination and how to address the clean up, DOH officials said. The agency plans to begin subsurface soil testing soon.
Possible ways to address cleanup may include soil removal and replacement for residential sites and cementing the ditch.
Arsenic has been found at other mills and addressed. Lihu‘e and Kekaha mills have been investigated, a DOH contractor said, and some have been fully cleaned up, such as Puhi. Hanama‘ulu was tested and found to have some residual contamination, but it’s being used as a trucking area.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral found in low levels in foods, DOH said, and the body does not store it. People with diets high in fish and rice will naturally have a higher level of arsenic in their bodies, which may be medically tested through hair, nail and urine samples.
When the DOH in 2007 discovered higher than acceptable levels of arsenic contamination in soils in Kea‘au, Big Island, the arsenic levels of the area residents were tested.
DOH toxicologist Barbara Brooks said, “The investigation could not determine if living, gardening, or playing near arsenic contaminated soil and bringing residual soil or dirt into the home from normal household activities contributed to urine arsenic levels. The arsenic levels were similar to people who frequently eat seafood, seaweed, rice and other food sources containing arsenic.”
Dioxins are carcinogens created by burning products and are found as impurities in pesticides, such as pentachlorophenol, DOH said. It is bioaccumlative and highly toxic, and most exposure is through diet. The dioxin levels found in Kilauea are 15 times acceptable levels.
Arsenic and dioxins bind with soil, DOH said, and potential exposure occurs only through soil ingestion.
The planned next steps for DOH include discussing results, providing information on reducing exposure, assessing the subsurface to confirm safety and testing of additional sites of concern in the area.
A key concern identified by DOH is one of liability in which the state may pursue potentially responsible parties and residents may sue developers, previous owners and/or county government, an informational slide states.
DOH has tentatively scheduled an action plan public meeting for March 30 at Kilauea Elementary School. Additional information will published when it becomes available.
Call DOH Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response office at 586-4249 for more information.
• Vanessa Van Voorhis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or by e-mailing vvanvoorhis@ kauaipubco.com.
Feb. 28 – Brief governor, Kaua‘i mayor and council, Kaua‘ilegislature delegation
March 4 – All neighbors notified of meeting
March 9 – Neighborhood meeting, County Council anddepartments
March 13 – Additional sampling approach finalized
Week of March 13 – Community at-large meeting
March 21 – Begin engineering evaluation for soil removals
April 15 – Sampling completed
May 15 – Results
