Elevated levels of toxic substances found in Kula ash
Elevated levels of arsenic, lead and cobalt were found in ash from Kula burn zone areas according to preliminary, unvalidated data from a sampling taken on Sept. 21, the state Department of Health announced on Sunday.
“The presence of those substances is not surprising, but the concentrations are indeed high, which only reinforces the need for cautionary measures that have been previously communicated,” Health Director Dr. Kenneth Fink said during a virtual news conference Sunday afternoon.
The ash sampling was from eight homes in Kula whose construction dates range from the 1930s to the 2000s, Fink said. The DOH received the results from the sampling Friday night.
Fink said what is concerning in particular is the very high levels of arsenic, a heavy metal, which was 140 times above the “environmental action level,” or the safety threshold.
Arsenic is present in Hawaii’s volcanic soil and could be present due to it being used as a herbicide in the early 1900s.
“The levels we are seeing as ash are likely due to its inclusion in the household construction materials that have been burned,” Fink said.
Long-term, environmental exposure to arsenic can cause skin problems, heart problems and cancers of the skin, bladder and lungs, according to a DOH news release.
The level of cobalt was 20 times above the environmental action levels and lead found was a little over three times above the environmental action levels, Fink said.
People who are exposed to excessive amounts of cobalt could have problems with blood, lungs and skin. Cobalt may also cause cancer with extreme exposures, the DOH news release said.
Lead is particularly toxic for young children and babies in utero as it hinders the development of the brain, the news release said. Babies and children exposed to lead have trouble with learning, school performance, attention and other neurocognitive problems.
However, DOH doesn’t believe Kula residents near the burn areas would have been exposed enough to create health issues.
“For the duration that has occurred and the lull of the air quality, that exposure to date, if at all, has likely been minimal to negligible,” Fink said. “So we would
not expect any health effects from any exposure that may have occurred to date.”
As for Lahaina, Fink said testing has not yet been done on the ash as they are waiting for the EPA to finish its Phase 1 hazardous debris removal.
But, he said, “We believe those samples (from Kula) are generalizable to the materials that were burned in Lahaina so we want to share this information as quickly as possible to the people of Lahaina.”
A DOH news release Sunday said burned homes in the impacted area in Lahaina were constructed around the same time period as those in Kula and therefore will have a similar contaminant profile.
Fink said that those who are going into impacted zones and “having direct exposure to the ash, that’s the greatest risk.”
“So it is incredibly important that people continue to wear PPE that is properly worn and well-fitting to go into the impacted area. We are recommending that there be minimal disruption of the ash to the extent possible,” Fink said.
He also recommends that pregnant women and children do not go into the burn zone areas.
The new sampling information comes as the state Department of Education is scheduled to open three Lahaina public schools this week, beginning with Lahainaluna High School today, Lahaina Intermediate on Tuesday and Princess Nahi’ena’ena Elementary on Wednesday, with displaced students from fire-ravaged King Kamehameha III Elementary also attending school at Princess Nahi’ena’ena’s campus.
DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi said they will still move forward with the school reopenings this week.
“The Department of Education continues to believe that reopening our Lahaina schools for in-person learning is critical to the well-being of our students and to the Lahaina community. We have been reassured that our Lahaina campuses are safe for students and staff to be at, based on current air quality conditions and the extensive environmental testing we’ve done over the last several weeks,” he said at the news conference Sunday.
This included testing of the soil and surfaces at schools.
No lead or arsenic beyond background levels were found in the soil and none detected in samples from wiping surfaces, a news release said.
Hayashi said they have been working closely with the DOH to update the DOE’s health and safety guidance for the schools, to take a more conservative approach whenever there are changes in the air quality.
Hayashi said because the information from DOH is new and complex, he understands that families will need time to consider the information and make decisions.
Schools will be flexible on student absences during the first week, Hayashi said.
Readings on air quality monitors at the schools to detect particulate matter have been in the “green” or “good” for the vast majority of the time since the installation weeks ago, he added.
Hayashi also said that the DOE has been reassured that the likehood of conditions at the schools becoming harmful in the near future is “very low.”
There are also applications to immediately notify the DOE’s Environmental Services Unit if things change, he said.
Lahaina Intermediate also has a weather station to track wind patterns and trends and bi-weekly wipe tests will be continued in classrooms to test for any particles settling on surfaces, Hayashi said.
The updated safety guidance for the schools includes schools consulting with the DOE’s Environmental Services Unit when air quality moves into the yellow level, which is the hazard level just above green, or good.
When air quality is in the orange level, which follows yellow, schools will close doors and windows, turn on indoor air filters in the classrooms, turn off central air conditioners and suspend outdoor activities, Hayashi said.
When in the red level, schools will plan to transition to distance learning as a backup action plan when there are sustained levels of unhealthy air.
At the purple level, which comes after red, schools will shelter in place if school is in session or close if not yet in session, Hayashi said.
Soiltac, a soil-stabilizing product, was applied to impacted areas near Lahaina schools to add a layer of protection and keep dust and ash from becoming airborne, the news release said.
The Health Department is also recommending that Maui County install higher dust screens around the impacted areas and use water misters in Lahaina to protect those residing next to the impact area to further control dust and ash from becoming airborne until Soiltac can be applied.
The DOH is also strongly recommending that the county cease the use of sifters in areas next to inhabited areas during Lahaina reentry visits, as the sifters cause ash to become airborne.
A Maui County spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday evening.
The DOH recommends residents in areas near the impacted areas to take precautions such as daily mopping and wet wiping to keep household surfaces free of dust or ash. Children, who are most susceptible to the toxic effects of these chemicals, should not play outside in areas that contain ash.
DOH recommends people stay indoors and close windows when air quality indicator changes to any color other than green.
Residents can monitor real-time air quality by visiting fire.airnow.gov or by downloading the AirNow mobile app. Additional apps such as Local Haze, IQAir, and Paku use the same data sources and allow for real-time alerts.