Families on the Navy water system say there is new contamination in their tap water. They say samples they sent to labs have come back with traces of forever chemicals known as PFAS.
A number of environmental groups called a news conference Wednesday to talk about the results.
Marti Townsend is the chair of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative, a group established in 2023 to allow selected community members to communicate directly with the military and the Environmental Protection Agency about Red Hill.
"These two samples came from Hickam because these are military dependents who are living on base, and their water lines overlap with fuel lines. And they're basically living in a horrible toxic soup between the jet fuel that was released and mixed with chlorine to make toxic chemicals, and the PFAS, all of which you know affect your immune system," said Townsend, who was previously the director of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi.
University of Hawaiʻi researchers recently found that fuel mixed with chlorine in water can produce a substance called "disinfection byproduct." In large doses, it can cause cancer, liver damage and decreased nervous system activity.
Professor Tao Yan, the study's co-author, explained that although the findings are more theoretical, they can be used in the real world. The researchers have shared their findings with the Navy.
"We know that there were petroleum constituents showing up in the Red Hill monitoring well before the 2021 leak. And we know that people were really sensing it come November 2021, but that, like there might have been exposure even before that. And we frankly feel like there's continued exposure," Townsend said.
Earlier this week, lawyers presented closing arguments in the water contamination trial at federal court. The lawsuit was filed by families seeking damages from the Navy over fuel that leaked into their tap water dating back to 2021.
The judge is expected to issue a ruling in July.
The Navy's Closure Task Force Open House is tonight from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Oʻahu Veterans Center in Foster Village. It is open to the public.
This interview aired on The Conversation on May 15, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
