Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 8, 1 August 2022 — Kapūkakī in the News [ARTICLE]

Kapūkakī in the News

On July 13, a hui of health professionals delivered a letter to Admiral John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command urging more humane treatment of individuals whose drinking water was contaminated by the November 2021 fuel leak from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Despite assurances from Navy officials that their water is safe, families living in housing served by the Navy's water system continue to report fuellike odors and visible sheens in their tap water, as well as ongoing health issues such as skin irritation, headaches, nausea or vomiting, fatigue and dizziness. Many of their pets have also suffered sudden illnesses and terminal SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 36

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Continued from page 35 cancers in the past few months. Navy officials continue to deny any knowledge of recent "medical eneounters...related to water concerns." Sierra Club of Hawai'i and others are calling on the Navy to reassess its water testing protocols. The letter demands that the Navy take "swift action" to acknowledge the ongoing contamination concerns, and to provide affected families with access to safe water and housing as well as appropriate medical and mental heahh care. It also demands immediate, transparent, and concrete assurances from the Navy that the defueling of Kapūkakī will be treated as an existential emergency.