Copious amounts of petroleum fuel have leaked into the groundwater at Red Hill, or Kapukaki, creating dire health issues affecting thousands of Hawaii residents. Those affected must be identified and offered prompt medical attention that includes an intake of symptoms experienced, a comprehensive history and physical examination, a diagnostic laboratory work-up, specialty referrals as appropriate, proper treatment and consistent long-term monitoring for relevant cancers.
The Red Hill fuel storage facility was constructed during World War II by the U.S. military as a hedge against supply chain constraints. It comprises 20 holding tanks mined into volcanic material adjacent to Pearl Harbor. Each tank is 250 feet high and 100 feet wide. Total capacity of the facility is 250 million gallons. It was designed to pipe fuel 2.5 miles to ships and planes at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
The storage tanks are made of steel, which over the long decades is continuing to corrode, causing thinning of tank walls and recurrent leakage. Tragically, roughly 100 feet below the fuel storage facility sits the Southern Oahu Basal Aquifer, a primary water source for the island. This aquifer provides fresh water for over 400,000 residents along the south-facing shore of the island, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has confirmed that contamination would result in a major hazard to public health. An area of 93,000 residents has been most affected.
Known leaks to date include the Navy’s confirmation during January 2014 that approximately 27,000 gallons of jet fuel had been released through at least 17 holes from Red Hill Storage Tank No. 5. On Nov. 20 the Navy reported 14,000 gallons of a fuel and water mix also leaked from a fire suppression drain line. Then this year the Navy confirmed a leak of 20,000 gallons on May 6. These breaches are on the heels of what are likely decades of prior leaks.
Clearly, public health will be best served by draining the aging tanks and removing the entire facility away from its proximity to our vital aquifer. However, definitive solutions for preventing any further contamination remain under debate.
Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center is now seeing alleged victims of fuel exposure in rapidly increasing numbers. Signs and symptoms of petroleum fuel exposure include damage to the central nervous system, distorted and blurred vision, vertigo, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood pressure and heart rate, dizziness, balance disorders and fainting. Damage to the liver and kidneys and miscarriages also might occur. Longer-term potential risks include various forms of cancer, including solid tumors and especially leukemia.
There are related precedents to toxic exposures associated with the U.S. military. In August, President Joe Biden signed into law the PACT Act of 2022, which enables military veterans and families harmed by contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., to file lawsuits against the federal government. From the 1950s through the 1980s, drinking water at Camp Lejeune is alleged to have contained industrial solvents, benzene (from petroleum products) and other chemicals.
The PACT Act of 2022 also covers expanded VA benefits to those military personnel exposed to toxic burn pits during wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is personal for Biden. His son, Beau, was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and five years later was diagnosed with brain cancer. Beau died two years later, at age 46. Biden has said that he thinks Beau’s cancer was related to exposure to burn pits during his deployment. Exposure to petroleum-based toxins such as jet fuel can have both immediate and long-term health effects.
At Red Hill we must stop the threat of continuing leaks from stored toxins entering our drinking water. We also must promptly identify all those who have been exposed to jet fuel contamination. Immediate laboratory testing of all potential victims is imperative as the ability to identify chemical evidence of exposure to toxins with laboratory testing may be time-limited. Victims must have the benefit of a timely and comprehensive medical intake, a diagnostic work-up and reasonable and appropriate treatment. It is also imperative that a long-term monitoring program that routinely tests victims for cancer be put in place.
Many Hawaii residents may have had exposure long before presently confirmed contamination events. Also, the extent to which fuel contamination could spread to other Oahu water sources has yet to be determined. Residents also must be made aware that they might continue to be at risk from previous exposures even after moving residence or changing water supplies.
Costs required to address this disaster will be substantial, but it is imperative that adequate funding be released quickly so that Red Hill victims can be cared for now and to mitigate health risks over the long run.
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Ira Zunin is a practicing physician and medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center: manakaiomalama.com. Submit questions to info@manakaiomalama.com. The column appears the first Wednesday of each month.
