KILAUEA — Residents of a Kilauea community say they are somewhat nervous over a recent Department of Health notice of toxins found in land around their homes. They recently have learned that DOH investigators found high levels of arsenic and
KILAUEA — Residents of a Kilauea community say they are somewhat nervous over a recent Department of Health notice of toxins found in land around their homes.
They recently have learned that DOH investigators found high levels of arsenic and dioxin on the properties of two homes. The highest concentration is in a small drainage ditch behind a commercial property known as The Old Mill Co.
“It’s a bit surprising, but I’m taking them at their word (that) there’s no real problem,” said resident William Perri. “Nevertheless, I wouldn’t want to plant a carrot and find out it has arsenic in it.”
Investigators tested his property in the late fall, and informed him around January that they had identified low levels of arsenic in the soil. They found a greater concentration in his neighbor’s property, where a pesticide mixing shed associated with the former Kilauea sugar mill had sat.
“I was more upset for her than I was for myself,” Perri said. “To realize that the chemical shack was right there is kind of scary.”
Perri, who has lived at his home on A’alona Street for 13 years, said he’s never had any health problems, nor have his animals. His plants, which were flourishing on Thursday afternoon, also seem unaffected.
According to a DOH handout, exposure to very high amounts of arsenic can cause both short-term symptoms and long-term health effects. Long-term exposure to high levels has been associated with increased risk of cancer. Symptoms of exposure to very high levels may include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea and impaired nerve function.
“These health effects have not been documented from soil arsenic exposure in Hawai‘i,” the document states.
Children who play in bare dirt are particularly susceptible to exposure to arsenic or dioxin, which is a known carcinogen. Exposure to arsenic comes by eating soil, dioxin via one’s diet, according to DOH.
Considering the possible health impacts, Perri wondered aloud why a developer would build homes on poisoned land.
Mary Felcher, who also lives on the A’alona cul-de-sac, recalled when she spoke with a DOH employee who checked her property and plants. Five to 10 people dug holes of about 6 inches deep in her land.
“I asked him ‘How long do the pesticides stay in the ground?’” Felcher said. “He said ‘Basically, forever.’”
But Felcher wasn’t overly concerned. She grows her plants, including vegetables, in pots. She and her family have lived in their home for about seven months.
Another woman who lives in the area, but didn’t know much about the DOH’s findings, said investigators came to her property but never shared the results.
Others in the community said the news is concerning but shouldn’t be blown out of proportion.
Standing outside of North Shore Motorcycles in the Old Mill Co. commercial center, two men said they attended an informational meeting held by the health department at Kilauea Elementary School on Wednesday.
The men, who asked not to be identified, said they have lived in the neighborhood most of their lives and have never gotten sick.
They worried that business owners or others in the community may have to foot the bill if the DOH decides to mitigate the hazards by covering the ditch with concrete.
• Jessica Musicar, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or by e-mailing jmusicar@ thegardenisland.com.
