HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0187.011 2004-2006 Statement on County of Hawaii Building Code, Relating to Termites (Bill 71)
I am opposed to the unnecessary addition of toxins to our environment. Home builders are
required lay the building code to have a termite treatment for ground termites before pouring a
concrete pad for their home. I am building in the Puna area of the island of Hawaii which is
pahoehoe lava rock. Ground termites need soil to nest in and are seldom found here. (Dry wood
termites are another matter, and aze not affected by the required treatment.)
People generally choose the least expensive option of the termite building code requirements, the
one in which a termite company sprays a soil termiticide on the building site beforehand. The
other two alternatives, the basaltic termite barrier or the Termi-mesh are better and should last
the life tirne of the home but they cost about 5 to 20 times as much and most home owners
throughouR the islands, even in high risk azeas, choose the termiticide option.
I have talked with many members of the building trade in the Puna azea and they say we don't
have ground remotes and should not have these requirements here. Fora 1400 sq. ft site I had
estimates of $560 to $800 for the spraying as compared to $2,100 to $10,000 for the alternate
treatments. So people, forced to do something, have the spraying because it cost the least.
In the past, the chemical Chlordane was used. It persisted in the environment much longer than
the pesticides used now, but it also made people sick and was discovered to be cancer causing
and banned. Today's termiticides do not persist long after soil contact and the termite
companies give only 1 or 2 yeaz warranty. Thus it is not very significant protection considering
the life of the house.
People living in ground termite azeas are lulled into a false sense of security when doing the
temuticide treatment. I know people in Hilo, a high risk area, that have had the pre-building
treatment and later discovered ground ternutes had invaded their house. Evidently in a high risk
area, spraying would have to be every few years to prevent the termites. Have there been studies
to access the impact of continual use of these poisons? No! Are records being kept to see if the
present building code approach is actually decreasing the number of termite invade homes. No!
The main chemical used today on the island of Hawaii is cypermethrin. For humans it is a
"moderately toxic material by dermal absorption or ingestion." However, it is "very highly toxic
to fish and aquatic invertebrates" and "is highly toxic to bees." {This information from
(http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/ghindex.html) on cypermethrin.} This study says it is unlikely to
cause groundwater contamination because " It has a tendency to absorb to soil particles."
However much of the Island of Hawaii is lava rock. There is no soil to adhere to! Thus the
pesticide would go through lava rock cracks and into the ground water and on out into the ocean!
In the literature of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
(www2.hawaii.edu/--entomol) anarticle "Effectiveness and Longevity of Temuticides in Hawaii"
states "Most termiticides do not last long in wet azeas even when the treatment is done
Comm. No. (~7. ~!f ' .f
Ref. To: Presest~i
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Ref. Via'"--HI~d--"-
correctly." and in bold letters says "DO NOT TREAT WET SUBSTRATES." In Puna it
rains frequently and intermittently. Termite companies aze doing the spraying as soon as it stops
raining ,thus to wet substrates, and thus less likely to stay in place.
So in rainy lava rock azea, the cypermethrin likely runs through the lava rock cracks to the water
lens below and out into the ocean. Thus it doesn't remain active or effective for termite control
in the intended site, and adds more toxins to the polluted runoff resulting from our islands
development. Our neaz-shore reef fish and animals such as the green sea turtle, monk seal, and
even nursing whales could be harmed by the termiticide spraying that results from this building
code regulation.
Certainly ground termites are a serious problem. Homeowners need to be on the lookout for the
tunnels the ground termites build from their underground nest to wood in your home and to not
provide them a source of water from leaking roofs or plumbing fixtures or leave wood lying on
the ground.
However, I am against unnecessarily adding toxins to our environment for something of
questionable value. Because of cost considerations many people are being forced by the building
code to put a poison on their land against their better judgment. It does not protect homes in the
long run and perhaps endangering our marine life. I think the code should be changed.
Mahalo for your concern on this issue,
Mary Marvin Porter
HCR 1, Box 5505
Keaau, Hi. 96749