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Morbidities Associated with Drinking Water Contamination After a 2021 Petroleum Leak — Oahu, Hawaii, March 2023

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2025

Daniel D. Nguyen Open the ORCID record for Daniel D. Nguyen [Opens in a new window] ,
Cristin E. McArdle ,
Katharine E. Saunders Open the ORCID record for Katharine E. Saunders [Opens in a new window] ,
David Carranza ,
Lilanthi Balasuriya ,
Izraelle I. McKinnon ,
Amy Fothergill Open the ORCID record for Amy Fothergill [Opens in a new window] ,
Jack Pfeiffer ,
Nicholas V. Titelbaum Open the ORCID record for Nicholas V. Titelbaum [Opens in a new window]  and
T. Christy Hallett
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Daniel D. Nguyen*
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Cristin E. McArdle
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Katharine E. Saunders
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
David Carranza
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Lilanthi Balasuriya
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
Izraelle I. McKinnon
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Amy Fothergill
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Jack Pfeiffer
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Nicholas V. Titelbaum
Affiliation:
Office of Capacity Development and Applied Prevention Science, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
T. Christy Hallett
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Maureen F. Orr
Affiliation:
Office of Innovation and Analytics, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Stacey Konkle
Affiliation:
Office of Innovation and Analytics, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry , Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
*
Corresponding author: Daniel D. Nguyen; Email: dnguyen3@cdc.gov
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Abstract

Objective

On November 20, 2021, petroleum fuel contaminated the Red Hill well, which provides water to about 93 000 persons on Oahu, Hawaii. Initial investigations recommended further evaluations of long-term health effects of petroleum exposure in drinking water. We reviewed electronic health records of those potentially exposed to contaminated water to understand prevalence of conditions and symptoms.

Methods

A sample of persons potentially exposed during November 20, 2021-March 18, 2022 who sought care within the military health system through February 24, 2023 was identified. Abstracted records were categorized as worsening preexisting or persistent new for conditions and symptoms.

Results

Of 653 medical charts reviewed, 357 (55%) had worsening preexisting or persistent new conditions or symptoms. Most-documented conditions included worsening preexisting migraine (8%; 50/653) and chronic pain (4%; 26/653), and persistent new migraine (2%; 14/653) and adjustment disorder (2%; 13/653). Most-documented symptoms included worsening preexisting headache (8%; 49/653) and anxiety (6%; 42/653), and persistent new rash (7%; 46/653) and headache (5%; 34/653).

Conclusions

Approximately half of the abstracted medical records demonstrated worsening preexisting or persistent new conditions or symptoms and might benefit from sustained access to physical, mental, and specialized health care support systems. Continued monitoring for long-term health outcomes is recommended.

Keywords

environmental exposuredrinking waterdisaster planningmedical recordsmilitary medicine

Information

Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e219
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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