What to know
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is evaluating exposures to chemical releases from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Oahu, Hawaii. ATSDR is using environmental data and health information collected since 2005 to evaluate potential health risks for communities near the facility.
Background
In late 2021, a large amount of jet fuel leaked from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (Red Hill). The facility is owned by the U.S. Navy. The leak contaminated the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam public drinking water system used by residences, businesses, and schools on- and off-base. The Hawai’i Department of Health (HDOH) asked ATSDR to conduct a public health assessment to understand the health effects of the releases from Red Hill.
ATSDR uses information to evaluate potential health risks.
ATSDR will identify data and information gaps that stand in the way of better addressing people's questions about exposures and health risks.
ATSDR will make recommendations to agencies and community members to help protect public health. ATSDR will release the findings in a written report on our website, (https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/).
ATSDR will communicate regularly with the community.
ATSDR is committed to regularly communicating and sharing information with the community and other organizations about our public health assessment process, findings, and recommendations.
We do this by talking with residents and organizational leaders, responding to questions and concerns from the community, and participating in community meetings.
The public health assessment process can take several years. Time is needed to gather and analyze data, develop health recommendations, write and review a final report, and share the final report with the community and other organizations.
ATSDR is available during the public health assessment.
Contact ATSDR's Office of Community Health Hazard Assessment (Region 9) with questions about ATSDR's Red Hill public health assessment activities.
- Jamie Rayman, Regional Director, jrayman@cdc.gov
- Ben Gerhardstein, Environmental Health Scientist, bgerhardstein@cdc.gov
The public health assessment builds on previous activities:
Pearl Harbor Naval Complex public health assessment
In the 2005 Public Health Assessment on the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex, ATSDR identified two locations where contaminants were detected in the shallow groundwater: the Ewa Junction Fuel Drumming Facility and the Red Hill Oily Waste Disposal Facility. ATSDR concluded that contaminants from those sources had not reached and were unlikely to reach the deeper aquifer used to supply drinking water. A copy of the report is available at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/PearlHarborNavalComplex/PearlHarborNavalComplexPHA122805.pdf
Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) online health survey
In 2022, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ATSDR, and HDOH invited users of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system to participate in an online health survey and a follow-up health survey. The surveys gathered information about the symptoms and experiences of people who were affected by the November 2021 fuel leak. Findings of the two health surveys are available on the HDOH website at https://health.hawaii.gov/about/red-hill-water-information/#survey.
Medical records review
In 2023, at the request of the Department of Defense's Defense Health Agency, ATSDR reviewed Department of Defense medical records for over 650 service members and their family members, to look for patterns of symptoms and diagnoses among individuals affected by the 2021 leak.
About ATSDR
ATSDR is a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ATSDR protects communities from harmful health effects related to exposure to natural and man-made hazardous substances.
We do this by responding to environmental health emergencies; investigating emerging environmental health threats; conducting research on the health impacts of hazardous waste sites; and building capabilities of and providing actionable guidance to state and local health partners.
For more information about ATSDR, visit our website at www.atsdr.cdc.gov.
Additional websites with Red Hill information
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/red-hill/about/index.html
Hawai'i Department of Health https://health.hawaii.gov/about/red-hill-water-information/
Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam Water Updates https://www.cpf.navy.mil/JBPHH-Water-Updates/
US Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/red-hill