Dioxin remedies
ordered at Waipio

A federal agency fears pesticides
are leaking into the soil

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Oahu Sugar Co. to further investigate and address dioxin contamination at its former pesticide mixing plant on the Waipio Peninsula in Central Oahu.

"We are concerned about dioxins being released into the environment from the former mixing plant," said Keith Takata, EPA Superfund division director for the Pacific Southwest.

A 2002 site investigation found high levels of dioxin near the former mixing plant. Although a 7-foot-high fence surrounds the 1-acre area, investigators found repaired holes in the fence and evidence of bicycle tire tracks inside the fence in September 2003. There is also the possibility of contaminated sediment going into Walker Bay from surface runoff and via a drainage ditch.

The EPA is requiring Oahu Sugar to determine the full extent of contamination that might extend outside the fence and to prevent exposure to contaminants in the soils until a final cleanup remedy is implemented.

An attorney for Oahu Sugar did not return phone calls for comment.

The pesticide mixing plant is located on Navy land that was formerly leased to Oahu Sugar and is currently part of the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex Superfund Site.

Dioxins are manufactured chemical compounds that enter the air through chemical and waste emissions. Skin rashes, liver damage, weight loss and immune system damage have been attributed to human exposure to dioxins.