Posted on: Monday, May 16, 2005

Fewer industrial toxins spewing over Hawai'i

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer

Industries in Hawai'i reported a 14 percent decrease in the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment, according to data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

With relatively little heavy industry, Hawai'i remained one of the cleanest states in the nation — ranked 49th out of 50 — in the 2003 Toxics Release Inventory, the agency's annual measure of industry-generated toxic chemical releases, transfers and waste.

Forty-one facilities in Hawai'i reported toxic chemical releases totaling 3.1 million pounds. Most of the material, 2.08 million pounds, was released into the air. Other types of releases include water, underground injection, landfills and other land disposals, and the transfer of material off-site for disposal.

Leading the decline was a 14 percent decrease, or nearly 346,000 pounds, in reported chemical releases into the air, primarily sulfuric acid releases from power plants since 2002, the EPA said.

Releases into the water decreased by 20 percent, or nearly 91,000 pounds, primarily due to the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex reporting fewer releases of nitrate compounds.

In contrast, toxic releases on land increased by about 9 percent, or nearly 21,000 pounds. Increases included lead releases at several federal training centers and copper releases at the U.S. Army Pohakuloa Training Area Range Facility on the Big Island.

The state's largest power plant, Hawaiian Electric Industries' Kahe Generating Station in Kapolei, was the biggest producer of toxic releases, with 853,000 pounds. Four other Hawaiian Electric plants on O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island made the top 10, along with the Pearl Harbor and Schofield Barracks sites, the Chevron and Tesoro refineries in Kapolei, and the AES Hawai'i Inc. power plant in Kapolei.

The Army's Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Airfield topped the list of facilities for release of highly toxic PBT chemicals, with 62,000 pounds. PBT chemicals are long-lasting substances that can build up in the food chain to levels that are harmful to humans and the environment. These include mercury, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Four other military installations, three on O'ahu and one on the Big Island, made the PBT list, along with four power plants, two on O'ahu and one each on Maui and the Big Island, and AES Hawai'i Inc.

The report can be found online at www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/tri.

Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.