Recently, the Big Island representative of the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Office of Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) gave HIBR members an update on a few new resources available online.
Last week’s presentation addressed potential arsenic contamination and soil testing at properties that were once part of Hawaii’s sugar cane lands. Some former plantation mill sites have been studied, but HEER notes that there are many areas yet to be tested.
What Should Hawaii Homeowners Know About Arsenic?
The HEER office recently released two informative fact sheets that will answer most questions about arsenic in soil and in canec ceilings and wallboard. These fact sheets are available here in PDF format:
Arsenic in Hawaiian Soils: Questions and Answers on Health Concerns (502KB)
This fact sheet describes the areas of Hawaii where arsenic in soil is most likely to be found (including former sugar cane fields, former pesticide storage areas and wood-treatment plants) and describes the human health concerns related to arsenic exposure as well as how to prevent exposure to possibly contaminated soil. Also available is a Homeowners Guide to Soil Testing for Arsenic (PDF).
Arsenic in Canec Ceilings and Wallboard in Hawaii (420KB) – This sheet gives a brief history of canec production and describes precautions to take if canec materials need to be removed from a property.
Canec, made from sugar cane bagasse–the fiber that remains after the juice has been extracted from sugar cane stalks–was produced at a manufacturing plant in Hilo from the early 1930s until about 1960. Canec ceilings are common in plantation-era homes and are generally considered safe as long as they remain in good condition. The fact sheet above describes how to remove and dispose of canec from residential properties where the fiberboard is deteriorating, is “powdering” or has been damaged.
For more information, please visit the Department of Health/HEER website or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
