Low levels of forever chemicals detected in West Oahu water
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Concerns are being raised in west Oahu after small amounts of PFAS — otherwise known as forever chemicals — were detected in water samples.
Officials said the water is safe but KHON2 heard from lawmakers who want more transparency.
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The Department of Health on Monday, March 31 that two new forever chemicals were detected in water samples from wells that serve residents from Ewa to Makaha. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply had sent out a on Tuesday, March 25.
'These are PFAS chemicals that are currently have no standards. There's no EPA regulation, and Department of Health has some environmental action levels that we use to kind of understand whether or not it's a concern. The levels in relation to those numbers are so small that it doesn't have a concern,' said Honolulu Board of Water Supply deputy manager Erwin Kawata.
Monthly testing found one PFAS chemical as far back as November, 2024 and it was still detectable through the beginning of February, 2025. Kawata said they have switched to weekly well testing.'November? This is now March, April and we are only being told now! I would have thought that any issue with PFAS, was should be something that people should be alert of, whether small or not,' said Nanakuli/Maili/Honokai Hale Rep. Darius Kila.
Forever chemicals detected in Oahu Navy drinking water
'It's a small amount to where there should be no concern,' said House Health Committee member Rep. Diamond Garcia. 'But any time residents hear there's forever chemicals in our water system, it gives us a pause, 'Do I want to cook our rice with it, shower in it, brush our teeth with it?''
PFAS were first detected on Oahu in 2020 after EPA testing standards were made more strict, but they have been in use since the 1940's.
'What's different is that we are seeing something that we haven't seen in 2020,' Kawata said. 'Are these numbers more stable or are they changing or are they going down in any way, it's something that we want to keep an eye on and keep on surveillance.'
One of the chemicals out west — Perfluorooctanoic Acid — has been identified as a carcinogen and is linked to birth defects.
'It's kind of scary because I think we're just accepting the fact that this is the new reality we're living with, but it's not 'harmful or dangerous,'' Rep. Kila said, 'because in its most earliest iterations, all of our water was never tainted like this. Ever.'
Check out more news from around Hawaii
for more information about PFAS.
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