The waters in and around Hawai‘i may look picture-perfect to the naked eye, but potentially dangerous herbicides and pesticides are lurking beneath that beauty.
A recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study found widespread pesticide contamination in many streams, ponds, and canals. Between 2015 and 2019, researchers tested 78 sites near agricultural or developed land and found pesticide pollution on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, and the Island of Hawai‘i. Even ocean water near the shoreline, where locals and tourists swim, revealed traces of pesticides and other chemicals.
Herbicides and Pesticides in Paradise
The government survey detected 117 different herbicides and pesticides in the water. Thirty of them, including herbicides like atrazine, insecticides such as fipronil, and fungicides like azoxystrobin, were recorded at numerous locations. Survey findings included:
- 86% of samples contained a mix of two or more pesticides
- Several storm samples exceeded federal aquatic-life safety benchmarks
- In at least one sample, atrazine exceeded federal drinking water standards
Even at low concentrations, repeated or long-term exposure to this chemical mixture poses serious risks, especially when people live, work, or raise children near contaminated water.