Report to the Twenty-second Legislature
State of Hawaii 2003 (34 years after the last spraying on Kauai)
Kauai Agricultural Reseach Center-Agent Orange
Between 1967 and 1968, the University of Hawaii in collaboration with the Department of the Army (Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland), conducted an experiment to assess the defoliation effects of various pesticies, including Agent Orange, on jungle vegetation on Kauai. This site includes three areas of contamination: the drum disposal area; the actual spray sites located at Waikoko Block, Hanahanapuni; and the Sam Thronas area. The areas were applied with different rates of Agent Orange and PCP, respectively, that were applied singly or in combination with other herbicides. The DOH Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch is overseeing the removal and disposal of drums at the drum disposal area.
(WHERE IS THE DISPOSAL SITE AND WHO HAS BEEN THERE?)
Soil sampling was conducted in September 2001 to determine if foliar application of various pesticides is affecting soils in the area. Given the concentrations of contaminants detected, it appears that no further CERCLA actions are warranted. However, a sediment sampling is scheduled to determine if marine habitat at Waikoko streams are affected.
The area is huge - stretches from the mountain side at Hanalei across the interior of the island almost to Waieleale. There are required EPA testing frequency specs. I have not been able to find a followup with results. Waikoko Beach is just beyond Hanalei. The two men who came from Fort Detrick to oversee the lab, returned home and died. They tried to file for disability benefits, but were denied. It was not long after their return that they passed away - it's a little vague.
Information from Department of Defense (DoD) on Herbicide Tests and Storage Outside of Vietnam
Kauai Branch Station near Kapaa 6/1967, 10/1967, 2/1968, 12/1967
Blue, diquat,parapuat, Orange, PCP, Picloram, White (Agent White is arsenic), HCA, 2,4,5 T (this is what caused all the illness also called Silvex), Endothal
During the period of 12/1966 - 10/1967 (already a date discrepancy), a comprehensive short=term evaluation was conducted by personnel from Fort Detrick's Plant Science Lab in coordination with contract research on formulations by chemical industry and field test by USDA and U of HI.
Kauai,HI 1967 Orange Field tests of defoliants were designed to evaluate such variables as rates, volume of application, season, and vegetation. Data from aerial application tests at several CONUS and OCONUS locations are provided in tables.
I could find no "tables" anywhere. What this means is that many areas were sprayed with small and huge amounts of poison to determine how little they could use and still poison everything. Some areas were sprayed once, then twice, then three and four times. CONUS/OCONUS refers to continental and not. So this does not make sense. Either nobody read it, or it was all just canned information with same wording used everywhere. Essentially no dates and no locations, no names, no supervisory entity, etc. This is non information concerning the most poisonous chemical on the planet that has poisoned, killed, deformed and destroyed the lives of millions of people in the US and abroad. Including myself.
I found the following information on the web site of a disabled and poisoned Australian veteran:
All the testing took place within 5 miles of the Kapaa Station Lab. That means that this mess of huge amounts of chemicals all being mixed together was very close to schools and residential areas. Four spraying areas were listed:
Wailua Game Refuge
Bauxite Reclamation Project
Department of Land and Natural Resources
Moalepe, Wailua Game Refuge.
This is apples and oranges. Dept of Land and Natural Resources is not a place. I am not there and I have not been able to sort out the names of the agencies. Wailua Game Refuge has a different name now and Google Earth does not want to plot these places. There might be some crossover here with the Hanahanapuni area. Dates: July 24, 1967 to December 21, 1967. What I know for sure is that relatively this is not a huge area, it is directly behind where I lived and the whole area drains into the Wailua River.
It is important to understand that these chemicals were developed specifically for defoliation use in the war. They are NOT the same as the agricultural chemicals regularly used to poison farms, ranches and people's homes. Domestic poisons are diluted with water or petrochemicals. THE WAR CHEMICALS USED ON KAUAI WERE UNDILUTED.
Another thing I discovered is that the application process was not functioning properly until 1968. When parts were missing, they jerry rigged the thing together to get it done. It's interesting that the big project in Vietnam was named Operation Ranch Hand. It seems to have been put together in pieces ranch style. The size of the drops was not consistent either.
Some of the notes state that "there was some drift but it was going in the opposite direction from any agriculture." I love high tech talk when people are dropping like flies. The UofH people were so locked into their concern for not irritating anyone by damaging their ag businesses that they forgot to pay attention to the humans. Dow Chemical had already issued memos that the Agent Orange chemicals were the most toxic on the planet and mice were being deformed and stillborn. Oh well. UofH recommended using Silvex (this is one of two ingredients in Agent Orange) combined with burning the dead brush. BURNING DIOXIN EXPONENTIALLY INCREASES ITS TOXICITY. Plus then it's blowing around everywhere. The UofH person also stated that it seemed to work better when the foliage was dry - meaning that they were spraying during the near constant rain up there. WHAT ABOUT THE RUN OFF??? Right into the Wailua River and into the canal behind my house. Additionally, when applied chemicals are hit by sun a process known as out gassing occurs. Just like it sounds - an indeterminate number of chemicals drift away.
Drifting chemicals do not fall back to earth. Especially in the tropics they get up in the clouds and come down wherever when it rains.
One of my favorite scientific statements: "There are NE trade winds, but they are not blowing in the direction of any agriculture." Well, thank God for that. Maybe just heading straight toward Lihue. I cannot recall being in the mountains and feeling trade winds consistently blowing in one direction.
I had to find where the Australian got his information. Today I located the UofH logs for 1967. They are absolutely astonishing. I'm really tired right now and will continue tomorrow after I get on the baddest horse I've got for a while. If only I still lived where there are no fences. And where it won't be 20 below zero next month. Those are not complaints, more facts.
I do not know where some of these places are. Sometimes I missed names of where we were all together because I couldn't understand Hawaiian unfortunately. Also it has been 42 years since I was up there. Please make any suggestions. Or try to remember who was ill, had cancer, suddenly seemed very depressed or hostile or whatever. There is a 20-30 year period before the going gets really bad after the exposure. I was exposed in 1966 or so. In 1984, I could barely walk. Right on schedule. I found a woman in southern CA who is my age and has two types of cancer. She went to Vietnam at 19 years old on an entertainment excursion or something. She is the only civilian I have been able to find who is ill and can directly link the illness the the herbicides. I KNOW WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES. There are many thousands of sick children of vets, but that is different too. Look how close Wailua Homesteads is to the spraying. Everyone did not get sick in Vietnam, and only some will be ill here. Most of them will never know why they have been ill for 40 or 50 years.
Remember this: Nearly everyone during the 60s was stoned out of their minds on tai stick from the east and bad marijuana laced with smack from Los Angeles. Kauai was full of R&R people from Vietnam. Everybody seemed sort of flat. That's why I didn't go to college on Kauai. I left in 1969. It is not logical to assume that all the people working on the spraying and frankenstein experiments at the lab were thinking properly. To do the spraying at all was insanity. Thirty five years later they still don't know if dioxins or whatever are running into Hanalei Bay. I read today that Monsanto and Dow are backing political candidates in Hawaii with money from the mainland. I would find out who they are and vote for whoever is running against them. The chemical companies made a fortune killing as much food as possible in Vietnam, now they are making further fortunes developing food that requires only their pesticides. The bugs won't eat those crops because they know it is not real food. Stores of seed are important in every real culture. Watch out for Monsanto.
I searched the Garden Island for stories about the spraying. There were short little Agent Orange stories about the vets trying to get their benefits, not one word about the spraying on Kauai. There was spraying on Hawaii too. I have not looked at that because I have not been there - no point of reference. There is a story about a whole town in Missouri being bought by the government because the defoliant chemicals somehow got into the water they used for dust control. Every road was covered with dioxin. All the people were moved and a fence built around the area. I don't know if dioxin is forever, but I know it sticks to everything. That's why it works so well killing things.
OK. That's too much happiness for one day.
Peace
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