Maui to replace
water chemicals
WAILUKU >> Starting tomorrow, Maui County will stop using a corrosion inhibitor in the Upcountry water system that is suspected of causing allergies among some people.
"I cannot begin to tell you how absolutely ecstatic we are," said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, who pushed for replacing the additive.
The county water department had planned to begin replacing the corrosion inhibitor phosphoric acid in a few weeks after testing its replacement, soda ash.
County water spokeswoman Jacky Takakura said the state safe drinking water branch has given the county approval to proceed with the switch but will continue monitoring lead levels in the Upcountry system.
Phosphoric acid, used to coat pipes to prevent lead leaching into county water, has been put into the Upcountry system since mid-2001.
More than 150 people have complained about skin rashes and throat and eye irritation since the additive was put into the system from Kanaio to Haiku.
More than 9 percent of the 33,000 people living Upcountry have the symptoms, according to a state health estimate.
Takakura said soda ash has been used in Waimea on the Big Island and is being used on a limited basis in the Olinda system on Maui.
"This is not something new," she said.
Dr. Lorrin Pang, the state health administrator on Maui, said using soda ash will slightly increase the amount of sodium in the drinking water.
"The amount of sodium is very, very small compared to your normal intake," Pang said. "It is less than 5 percent."
Pang said the normal person consumes about 3,000 milligrams of sodium daily and he estimates the daily consumption of drinking water would amount to 80 to 100 milligrams.
Pang said people walking on a "tight rope" may want to reduce their daily consumption to compensate for the sodium in the water.
He plans to issue some dietary guidelines tomorrow.
Pang said he also will be announcing a plan for documenting people who believe they have suffered allergies as a result of phosphoric acid.
He said he wants to document the allergies before and after the phosphoric acid has left the system.
Takakura said the cost for using soda ash will be about the same amount as employing phosphoric acid.
She said the number of complaints hasn't decreased since the county reduced the level of phosphoric acid and also set up the public use of tanks containing nonphosphoric water earlier this year.