Our Unique Asbestos Knowledge

More than 40 years since a vermiculite-processing facility near the Honolulu airport was shuttered over concerns about asbestos contamination, harmful vermiculite and asbestiform tremolite residue remains in the soil placing nearby Honolulu residents at risk. Hawai’i factory’s troubled history For decades, the facility known as the Vermiculite of Hawai’i Plant operated near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport processing vermiculite shipped from a Libby, Montana, mine operated by W.R. Grace & Co. The plant used an exfoliation process that released asbestos particles into the air. Although the Hawai’i facility closed in 1983 and remediation was performed in 2001, a new study confirms that dangerous levels of vermiculite and asbestiform tremolite remain. As asbestos and fibrous particles can persist in soil and air for years, the risk to nearby residents remains.  

Navy veterans have been exposed to cancer-causing asbestos fibers at levels higher than other branches of the military, according to new research. According to a study of British and Australian veterans published in Scientific Reports, naval personnel have been exposed to higher levels of asbestos because of the time they spent on ships and submarines, particularly for service members who worked in engine rooms, where maintenance procedures involved disturbance of asbestos on pipework, turbines, boilers and other machinery. As a result, sailors suffer high rates of asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer, even when other lifestyle factors are controlled.  

While Hawaiʻi residents are increasingly aware of the serious health risks associated with occupational exposure to asbestos in the workplace and from military service, many don’t realize how frequently they may come in contact with the material. Used for insulation, as a fire retardant and many other applications, asbestos can be found in homes and in military housing throughout Hawaiʻi. In addition, generations have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace and in military service.

Asbestos has been widely used in the construction of buildings in Hawai‘i for generations. According to the Hawai‘i State Department of Health, most residential buildings in Hawaii contain some asbestos, which can be found in ceilings, walls, insulation and flooring. While these materials pose little risk when a building is kept in good condition, they become hazardous when asbestos is disturbed. Storms, high winds and natural disasters can cause minute fibers to break away and create a risk to human health.

While it’s well-established that the deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma is caused solely by exposure to asbestos, thousands of people throughout the U.S. mainland and Hawaii continue to die from the disease every year. About 3,000 cases of mesothelioma are registered each year in the United States. In Hawaii, there are approximately 38 asbestos-related deaths a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mesothelioma was discovered in the late nineteenth century and gradually came to be associated with exposure to asbestos. The mineral has been used throughout history, but as the Industrial Revolution took hold, more and more uses were found.