Abstract

ARSENIC IN SOILS OF FORMER SUGARCANE PLANTATIONS, ISLAND OF HAWAII
Track: Environmental Management
Authors: Silvia Barber

Elevated levels of arsenic were recently discovered in soils of the Island of Hawaii. Exposure to arsenic is a potential human health hazard. We hypothesized that the condition was caused by historical application of arsenical herbicides on sugarcane fields. To test this hypothesis, we designed a study to compare soil arsenic levels with former sugarcane cultivation. There are no publicly-available GIS resources showing detailed extent of sugarcane cultivation. However, we obtained historical plantation drawings from archives, and digitized and georeferenced plantation maps covering more than 60 km2 of historical sugar cane cultivation. Approximately 100 soil samples were collected across the study area and analyzed for total arsenic. Soil results were plotted over plantation extents, and results confirmed our hypothesis that high arsenic soils are confined to former sugar plantation boundaries. Our findings have been utilized by Hawaii Department of Health in managing potential soil arsenic hazards in the study area.