Key Findings
analysis from 2019 - 2021 RUP reporting
Across rural communities in Hawaiʻi residents have long sought transparency on what pesticides are being applied near their local communities and public health protections. The rapid expansion of the footprint agrochemical industry in Hawaiʻi in the early 2000’s prompted concerns about public health in particular for keiki residing or attending school near pesticide intensive fields.
After nearly two decades of advocacy, three years of data is finally being made available to the public in a digestible and accessible format, providing long sought transparency.
Following the passage of Act 45 in 2018, analysis from the first three years of RUP reporting (2019-2021) is now available for the first time since the first year of mandated reporting in 2019. Concerning data has emerged regarding the amount of restricted-use pesticides (RUPs) applied near certain frontline communities, frequency of application, untested combinations of various chemicals and proximity to schools. Analysis of the data also revealed major flaws in the reporting.
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The following key findings have emerged from this analysis:
A few entities are applying the vast majority of restricted use pesticides (RUP), the majority of farming operations use little to no RUPs. In 2019 we learned that 99% of all RUPs reported that year were applied by the top 10 users and that 97% were applied by the top 5.
RUPʻs were used across all islands, mostly in low amounts (<100 lbs/parcel/year), but some sites had extremely high use and Central Oʻahu had the highest use in the State consistently. One Oʻahu parcel reported over 206,000 lbs in 2021 and 100,000 lbs in 2020.
Some parcels applied RUPs on over half the days of the year. One parcel in 2021 used RUPs on 80% of days. One large ADC parcel on West Kauaʻi applied RUPs on average 4.6 times per day (2020).
One Kauaʻi parcel used multiple products simultaneously up to 178 days/year (2020–2021).
Fumigant use (1,3-D, Metam Sodium, Sulfuryl Fluoride) was concentrated on a few large parcels. One central Oʻahu parcel in particular used 118,000 lbs (2020) and 192,000 lbs (2021). Fumigants were the most heavily used RUP’s.
Flaws in reporting led to gross underestimate of usage. This raises serious questions about the accuracy of the date: 2020 data had 31 unmappable parcels (~162,000 lbs), and 2021 had 2,353 applications missing key data.
