A new study by University of Hawaiʻi researchers shows that when fuel mixes with chlorine in water, it can produce a substance that is harmful to humans.
University of Hawaiʻi professor Tao Yan, the study’s co-author, said he knew that Oʻahu’s water is treated with small amounts of chlorine, so he wanted to know what effect the fuel leak at Red Hill really had on residents.
What he found was that the mixture of the fuel and chlorine created a substance called "disinfection byproduct." In large doses, it can cause cancer, liver damage and decreased nervous system activity.
Yan explained that although the findings are more theoretical, they can be used in the real world.
"It is a starting point to understand how this type of situation. It's a really rare event that petroleum gets into drinking water which is why nobody else has studied this type of thing before," he said.
"From our study, we show that when you have some strange chemicals in this case, petroleum hydrocarbon getting in the drinking water, it can have rippling effects that is expected."
The researchers have shared their findings with the U.S. Navy. Yan hopes he can continue his research to better understand how to protect Hawaiʻi’s drinking water.
To read the published study, click here.
