In 1976, Frederick Kaneshiro of Wahiawa wrote Russell Train, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Kaneshiro said he was concerned about reports that pesticides and herbicides, including powdered DDT, had been buried at the Animal Quarantine Station in Halawa Valley. … Continued
The state Department of Health has the legal responsibility to ensure that the water residents of the state drink is pure and healthy. To this end, it establishes maximum contaminant levels (most of which match federal MCLs) and monitors test … Continued
In September 1983, the residents of Mililani Town, in central O`ahu, were reeling from the news that their drinking water was a chemical cocktail whose ingredients, while dilute, might still bring on a wide range of frightening health problems. In … Continued
In September 1982, dibromochloropropane was found in Mililani well I at 97 nanograms per liter. (A nanogram is a billionth of a gram.) The well had been tested as a result of a settlement agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency, … Continued
Name: Carbon Tetrachloride* Use: Industrial Solvent Where found: Del Monte Navy well (Kunia) Wahiawa; Haleiwa; Wheeler; Camp Stover; Waikele (Navy Well) Health effects: Probable carcinogen (respiratory cancer, liver tumors, leukemia.) Name: DBCP (1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane) Use: Soil Fumigant Where found: Hawai’i Country … Continued
Scanning the Department of Health’s computer print-out of contaminated wells provides an idea of the range of chemicals present in O’ahu groundwater. DBCP and EDB are frequently detected pesticides subject to state regulation. Volatile organic chemicals are often discovered as … Continued
In 1975, the Del Monte pineapple plantation on O`ahu made a fateful change in its management of soil fumigants. Until that time, the plantation had purchased the fumigants — used to control root nematodes — in metal drums, typically containing … Continued