Posted on: Wednesday, September 5, 2001

Chemicals dumped illegally in Halawa area

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A large amount of hazardous chemicals was dumped two times in the Halawa area during the past four days.

The 16 different chemicals ranged in amounts from 2 pints of ethylene glycol to 30 gallons of isopropanol and 30 pounds of ethyl alcohol. Some of the chemicals are toxic while others are heat-sensitive and potentially explosive, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.

Firefighters and the Hazmat crew were dispatched to an area near the state animal quarantine plant on Halawa Valley road late Friday night. Soo said 10 chemicals were found in their original containers near the stream by a man walking in the area.

One of the chemicals, a gallon of formic acid, is highly toxic, Soo said. But the real problem, he said, is the chemical may explode if exposed to heat.

Other chemicals found Friday were isopropanol (10 three-gallon containers); ethyl alcohol (one 30-pound container); hexane (1 gallon); acetic anhydride (four 1-gallon containers); buty alcohol (one 5-gallon container); ethylene glycol (2 pints); trichloroethylene (1 gallon); potassium phosphide (three 1-pound containers); ammonium polyvanadate (one 5-pound container)

Yesterday morning, workers at a candy manufacturing plant on Mala'ai Street reported unopened containers of chemicals. Fire officials found various amounts of toluene, petroleum ether, dichloro methane, benzene and acetonitrile.

In both incidents, Soo said, the Health Department was notified and crews from Pacific Environmental Corp. removed the chemicals. No one knows who left the chemicals there or what they were used for, Soo said.

"The problem is, whoever it is, they know they have a problem with disposal but they decide to leave it in the open to have authorities take care of their disposal problem," Soo said.

Soo asked anyone who has information about these cases or sees containers of chemicals being dumped to call 911.