Maurice Tamura sighs as he points to a tattered organizational chart. Position after position in the Department of Health, Food and Drug Branch Tamura supervises has been crossed out with pencil; notes written alongside show the dates when the slots were lost. And were this not enough, he expects to lose two more as a result of cuts by the state Legislature.
Tamura’s troops – all that remains of the state’s first line of defense against pesticide contamination – are dwindling. At the same time, heptachlor, one of the most notorious food contaminants in Hawai’i history, is again being found in the state’s food supply.
The first sign of renewed heptachlor trouble came shortly after March 12, 1998, when the Food and Drug Branch collected Japanese cucumber samples from fields in Kunia. One sample, grown on former agricultural lands treated with heptachlor, was found to contain 26 parts per billion of heptachlor epoxide, produced when heptachlor breaks down. This level exceeded the federal standard of 20 pph for heptachlor epoxide on cucurbit vegetables such as cucumbers.
After the discovery, the grower destroyed his crop, the Department of Health says, while the DOH itself stepped up its sampling program and launched an investigation to track down the source of the problem. The Food and Drug Branch took samples of cucumber and other Kunia-grown crops, as well as one sample from Kahuku land where sugarcane or pineapple had never been cultivated. All together, 42 soil samples were taken.
While the cucumber sample from Kahuku had no heptachlor, samples of Japanese cucumbers from Kunia yielded heptachlor epoxide levels ranging from a high of 17 ppb down to under 7 ppb, the limit of testing sensitivity. Heptachlor epoxide was also found in daikon, a Japanese radish, from Mek Farms, at levels as high as 8 ppb.
Heptachlor expoxide was found in soils on Outh Sivongxay Farm, Thoughoune Sivongxay Farm, Baunhadeth Vorachock Farm, Mek Farms, Aloun Farm, and Larry Jefts’ Kunia farm. However, the branch was unable to make a correlation between heptachlor levels in the soil and HE levels found in the food. Soil with high HE levels did not always produce food with similarly high levels. For example, Japanese cucumber grown on soil with 54 ppb of HE had 17 ppb, while a cucumber taken from soil with similar levels 13.3 ppb – had only trace amounts (less than 7 ppb).
The branch then looked at the possibility that the source of HE stemmed from direct contact with HF-contaminated soil. Heptachlor epoxide is soluble in fat and, Allan Izen hypothesized it “might readily dissolve in the naturally produced wax coating characteristic of cucumbers.” Izen is supervisor of the monitoring section of the Food and Drug Branch.
Samples of cucumbers grown near the soil were compared with cucumbers higher off the ground. A correlation was found. One Japanese cucumber sample taken at ground-level had an HE level of 45 ppb, while one taken 3-5 feet off the ground had a level of 19 ppb.
Investigators then evaluated the difference between HE levels in the cucumber’s rind and its interior. Generally, the rinds had higher HE levels up to tenfold in some instances. Washing the cucumber reduced HE levels slightly.
After the investigation concluded, the DOH continued to test for heptachlor in cucumbers. Seven additional samples were taken, but none showed elevated levels of heptachlor epoxide. The 1998 scare seemed to have run its course, with no public alarm sounded.
A little more than a year after the first violative cucumber was found, another one popped up on Moloka’i.
On April 14, 1999, the DOH Food and Drug Branch took a cucumber sample from Larry Jefts’ Moloka’i farm. Once more, heptachlors epoxide was found, this time at a level matching the federal contaminant limit of 20 ppb. (Jefts, who farms both on Moloka’i and O’ahu, is a newly appointed member of the Agribusiness Development Corporation, a state-sponsored agency charged with developing Hawai’i’s agriculture industry.)
A second sample was tested. This time it was found to contain 34 ppb heptachlor epoxide. The crop was recalled and destroyed.
After all tests were complete, the DOH issued a press release on June 16. The elevated levels of heptachlor were reported, but, the release went on to say, the department had “determined that the health risks from eating contaminated cucumbers are insignificant.”
That assessment, the news release went on to say, was based “on the fact that levels detected were low and the cucumbers from these fields were not in the marketplace for an extended length of time…. Heptachlor epoxide was found mainly on the outside of the cucumber and washing reduced its concentration. Removing the peel further reduced residues.”
DOH Director Bruce Anderson was quoted as saying that the alert “is a precautionary measure and consumers can feel confident that eating locally grown vegetables is safe.” The findings were merely “an opportunity for the state to look closely at what food is grown on land once treated with heptachlor and to take steps to ensure that public health is not compromised.”
Mum’s the Word
Over the past 25 years, the state is known to have twice before withheld information regarding pesticide contamination of food.
“Milk taken off a grocer’s shelf in mid-1975 and tested by a University of Hawai’i lab showed inorganic bromide levels of 15 parts per million,” wrote John Christensen in a January 18, 1985 Star-Bulletin article (“Residues of Pesticide Found in ’75; Public Wasn’t Told”).
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Christensen wrote, inorganic bromides were not allowed in milk at any level. Also, a high bromide level is an indication that the milk contains other pesticide residues. The residues in this case were from pineapple pesticides dibromochloropropane (DBCP) and ethylene dibromide (EDB), which probably came from cow feed made from chopped up pineapple leaves (called green chop).
In the spring of 1981, high levels of hep–tachlor were found in O’ahu milk by the Department of Health’s laboratory. Again, the suspected culprit was green chop.
A July 1982 Science article by R. Jeffrey Smith illustrates the snail’s pace at which the state initiated protection efforts. After the heptachlor was found, Smith wrote, DOH officials “allowed milk to be sold and consumed. They sent the samples to a federal laboratory in San Francisco for confirmation. They waited till the results were confirmed, they thought about it for a while. They decided to collect more samples. When it was determined that these too contained heptachlor, still more samples were sought. The public was finally informed 57 days after the initial discovery, when inquiries from a Honolulu newspaper forced the department to admit that milk supplies were contaminated. A limited recall was announced, and the remaining stocks were certified as pesticide-free.” It later turned out that remaining stocks were also contaminated. The state, however, repeatedly allowed milk to be sold, then recalled it when it was found to contain heptachlor.
Stymied Efforts
With respect to today’s heptachlor problem, “The Departments of Health and Agriculture are now working in cooperation with the farming community to identify lands with heptachlor epoxide in order to prevent future cucumber contamination,” the June press release stated.
Even though several Kunia lands have already been identified as containing hep–tachlor epoxide, Izen says, “We can only advise. We don’t have the authority to forbid them from growing. Once [a farmer] gets a violation, we can stipulate conditions on where he can grow.”
The Departments of Health and Agriculture advised farmers not to plant cucumbers in soil that has been treated with heptachlor, but a handful of farmers have continued to grow cucumbers on heptachlor-contaminated soil, despite DOH warnings.
Legally, farmers can plant crops on tainted soil, but there is a risk. If the Food and Drug Branch finds residues that exceed federal limits, the entire crop could be recalled and destroyed. The farmer would not be allowed to resume sales of any crop until the produce had been tested and cleared.
The Food and Drug Branch has only two monitoring inspectors (joined occasionally by Izen and former inspectors) for the entire state. It is inevitable that some contaminated produce slips through the sampling system.
“The number of samples we collect is so minuscule, we’re just trying to keep [the program] viable. Some people want to do away with this program, Izen says “We kind of go from fire to fire.”
At high levels, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide can cause central nervous system effects in humans, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified these compounds as probable human carcinogens. Heptachlor was used extensively in Hawaiian sugar and pineapple fields until 1982, with Del Monte continuing to use heptachlor in its pineapple fields until 1993. (For more information on Del Monte’s heptachlor use, see the June 1993 issue of Environment Hawai`i.) The residue is extremely stable and can persist in soil (and migrate into crops grown on treated soil) for decades.
Meaningful Tests
The Department of Health June press release went on to say that it had analyzed cucumbers from 20 wholesale and retail firms and also had tested other crops, including watermelon, zucchini, Kabocha pumpkin and sweet potato. All were found free of contamination.
But the extra cucumber samples were a special effort that, according to Izen, required much manpower and forced the monitoring staff to “let other stuff go.”
Usually, about 20 samples of all produce produced in or imported to Hawai’i are taken each month. With so little data, can the DOH really say that the food we eat is safe?
“No, I can’t say, statistically,” Izen says, “But the tests taken are meaningful. It’s not completely random. We look for problems and try to get the most benefit.”
Every year, the branch develops a sampling plan, which identifies target produce for the coming year. Dietary significance, past problems and past violations are considered. Most of the sampling is done at wholesale outlets, because inspectors can visit a single establishment and collect the produce of many growers in one stop. Also, inspectors can collect samples from larger lots. “If we collect samples from a lot consisting of 100 cases of cucumber and the cucumber is later distributed to 30 supermarkets, we’ve made the equivalent of 30 supermarket visits,” Izen has said. The branch also collects samples from retail establishments, and, to a lesser extent, swap meets and open markets.
Samples are sent to the DOH chemistry lab or, occasionally, to the FDA Pacific Region Lab for analysis. Of the 306 samples taken in 1997, 45 percent had detectable pesticide residues. Almost eight percent of the samples (24) were violative, not because they had residue levels that exceeded federal limits, but because they had residues from pesticides that are not EPA registered for use on that crop. These violations occurred mostly on minor crops such as bittermelon, onchoi, pak choi, kale, long squash, cucumber, and tarragon. This is the most common type of violation, largely because it costs a pesticide company several years and lots of money to register a pesticide for a certain type of crop. Many pesticide companies feel the minor crops aren’t worth that expense. Also, no pesticides are registered for use on herbs and spices.
Measuring Up
In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis–tration reports, 56.9 percent (241 out of 376) of food samples from Hawai’i had detect–able pesticide residues. In 11 of those food samples -2.9 percent – pesticide residues were higher than allowed by federal limits.
Compared with 13 other states – including California, Georgia, New York, and Wisconsin Hawai’i had the highest rate of pesticide residues that violated federal standards, and the second highest rate of food with detectable residues.
Things were no less bleak in 1997. Nearly 11 percent of locally grown crops that year had violative residues, compared with 7.8 percent of imported produce. Nationally, 1.2 percent of sampled food had violative pesticide residues.
This is not a fair comparison given that the type of crops grown in Hawai’i were different ones grown on the mainland, Izen says. Many minor crops that have no established pesticide tolerances are grown here. As a result, Hawai’i has a higher rate of violations than the national average, he says.
Gary Gill, the deputy director of the Department of Health who is responsible for its environmental programs, told Environment Hawai`i that the high level of violations does not necessarily represent a cross-section of Hawai’i produce. “We often focus in on areas where we think there are problems,” he noted, “and that could skew the results.” In other words, the better the department is at tracking down contaminated produce, the higher the percentage of violations will be. Simply looking at the percentages does not give an accurate picture of the overall incidence of residues in Hawai’i produce, he said.
Sampling Sizes
In 1986, the Legislature hired a consultant to determine how many samples would be needed to obtain a statistically significant reflection of the food the public was eating. The consultant found that 3,300 samples a year needed to be taken, based on 1986 population figures. Time and again, however, “We have been stymied in our efforts to approach one tenth of that mandate,” Izen says. In 1997, the branch took only 306 samples. Data for 1998 is not yet complete.
Even if the monitoring section managed to take 3,300 samples in one year, Izen says the DOH’s laboratory -which has also suffered cutbacks – would not have the capacity to process them all. A few years ago, Izen says, the DOH lab lost use of equipment that allowed it to screen for carbamate pesticides, a class that includes oxamyl and aldicarb, both highly toxic. The lab hasn’t been able to afford new equipment to resume carbamate testing since then.
“The problem with environmental areas is when you do the job well, the Legislature then says, ‘There’s no problem in this area – hack, hack, hack,’ ” Izen says, making a chopping motion with his hands.
The DOH’s Food and Drug Branch has lost about 43 percent of its O’ahu field staff since 1993. Two positions remain vacant and are expected to be lost. If that happens, the branch will have lost more than 50 percent of its staff over the last few years. The branch, which is responsible for assuring that food, drugs, and cosmetics are wholesome and labeled accurately, was once lauded for its accomplishments, Len says. Things are different now.
“If the trend continues – some people are planning to leave, retire – in two to three years, there won’t be a viable food and drug program in the state,” says Maurice Tamura.
Gill, Tamura’s boss, acknowledges that the DOH has had to reduce the number of samples taken. “But there are other problems,” he notes, “aside from just the number of samples we’re capable of taking.
“We need to track the source of vegetables, for example,” Gill said. “We’re not in the business of regulating farming in the Department of Health. As we promote small farms, truck farming, diversified agriculture, it becomes more difficult to regulate and educate the farmers – and that much more difficult to trace the farm produce that we may find at a wholesaler back to the producer. That’s the biggest problem.”
There were additional monies to be spent protecting the safety of our locally grown produce, it should be invested in working with the farmers directly rather than chasing them after the fact,” Gill said. “’There are potential health risks, assumed health risks, and real health risks. We have to allocate our resources according to the real risks.”
— Teresa Dawson
Volume 10, Number 6 December 1999
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