Mystery irritant
forces longer Makalapa
Elementary closure

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By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com

Makalapa Elementary School is closed today and tomorrow as state health officials try to determine what is causing eye, skin and throat irritation among the students.

So far, state officials have eliminated mites as the source.

On Friday, 16 children and one adult were taken to Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi and Tripler Army Medical Center after experiencing itchy skin, watery eyes and scratchy throats.

Yesterday, school officials believe at least 23 students, many of them the same children, experienced similar symptoms. Seventeen were taken by ambulance to Queen's Medical Center. Six went to Tripler.

On both days the students were washed down, examined by physicians and released.

Honolulu Fire Department officials believe Friday's incident was caused by either pepper spray or mace, though air test results were negative.

HFD's hazardous-materials teams went to the school on both days, but "we didn't do the air sample (yesterday) because they didn't have watery eyes. Seemed more like bites," said Capt. Richard Soo, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.

Instead, firefighters cordoned off an area outside Building D, where school officials believe the students came into contact with whatever is causing the problem.

A state Department of Health specialist then took seed pods from the two trees next to Building D -- a tecoma tree and bottlebrush tree -- to test for the microscopic straw itch or pyemotes mite.

The samples did not have pyemotes.

The area in question outside Building D is a designated waiting area for third-graders, and most of the children who reported symptoms on Friday are third-graders. But Makalapa principal Raymond Fujii said yesterday even kindergartners were affected.

Only a skeleton staff is required to report to school today. Fujii is looking for an alternate site for teachers to undergo training scheduled for tomorrow.