Soilworks products are the industry’s top standard due to our insistence on creating high performance soil stabilization and dust control products that stand up to rigorous testing – both in the lab and in the field. Our commitment to quality and performance has led to our involvement and testing in hundreds of real-world situations. The following library of reports, presentations, specifications, approvals and other similar documents provide you, our customer, the transparency and dependable assurance that is expected from Soilworks.
To support the safe reopening of schools in Lāhainā, the EPA has applied Soiltac to stabilize toxic ash and debris, preventing airborne contamination and hazardous runoff into nearby properties and waterways. This EPA-reviewed, non-toxic soil stabilizer forms a thin, clear protective crust, reducing exposure to hazardous materials such as arsenic, lead, and microplastics. Soiltac is being applied across the burn area, ensuring that students, staff, and returning residents are protected from the health risks posed by wildfire debris. The EPA and Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) have also installed air quality monitors to detect potential airborne contaminants, ensuring ongoing environmental safety.
Key Benefits:
Minimizes airborne ash exposure, reducing respiratory and environmental risks.
Protects nearby communities and school zones from hazardous dust and debris.
Transparent coating allows safe sifting through materials during recovery efforts.
Application is mandatory for public health and environmental protection.
Additional Information:
Cultural sites, artifacts, and historic structures are not sprayed.
Reapplication may occur if significant disturbances impact coverage.
Soiltac will be fully removed during Phase 2 debris cleanup by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
For disaster recovery, hazardous dust control, and erosion mitigation, Soiltac provides a trusted, government-approved solution. Contact Soilworks for consultation on environmental protection strategies in emergency response efforts.
By Nikolas Lanum
Published November 01, 2023 Fox News
Public schools across Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii, have reopened following the deadly August wildfires, but parents are concerned the buildings could expose their children to toxic waste.
A day before the schools’ reopening on October 15, Hawaii public health officials warned that ash from the mountain Kula, located just 25 miles east of Lahaina, contained arsenic levels 140 times higher than the federal safety limit.
According to Vox, parents were shocked when the superintendent of the Hawaii public school system, Keith Hayashi, said that students would be expected to return to class despite the environmental dangers.
“You can’t experience something like that and just expect everything to return to normal in a few months,” Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin told the news outlet.
LOCALS IN HAWAII RETURN TO SITES OF HOMES WRECKED BY AUGUST’S LAHAINA WILDFIRE
Aerial images east of town where homes and businesses lay in ruins after last week’s devastating wildfire swept through town. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Fears were further exacerbated when the state health department revealed that Lahaina’s soil, which has gone untested since the fires, is likely contaminated with the toxins found in Kula.
Hayashi, working with the state’s Department of Health, state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said they had determined it was safe for students to return to school campuses.
Lahaina families learned of the school reopening plans on October 4 and two weeks later, the government’s safety assessment remained unchanged.
“I’m not sending my keiki [child] back there,” Paltin, who has two children, said.
HAWAII MISSING PERSONS LIST: FBI, MAUI RELEASE NAMES OF 388 PEOPLE NOT FOUND AFTER DEADLY WILDFIRE
A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
After the Kula report was released on October 15, Hayashi and the Director of the Hawaii Department of Health, Dr. Kenneth Fink, held a virtual press conference claiming that the reopening of schools was “critical to the well-being” of the Lahaina community.
However, Fink said the ash found in the air could indicate “a potential risk of exposure to the toxic materials.”
The King Kamehameha III Elementary School was one campus destroyed in the wildfires. The Department of Education has been setting up tents at the nearby Princess Nahienaena Elementary School to expand classroom access.
Parents said they felt the measure was rushed and suggested that children were expected to return to class before the EPA had finished removing hazardous waste.
HAWAII GOV AGREES CLIMATE CHANGE ‘AMPLIFIED THE COST OF HUMAN ERROR’ ON MAUI FIRES
An aerial image shows a red roofed house that survived the fires surrounded by destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in the historic Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 10, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The EPA’s “Phase 1” cleanup, according to Vox, was just 75% complete on October 18 when the first wave of Lahaina students were told to return to classrooms.
“What’s going to happen on a day like today, when the Kona winds are coming in from the ocean, and everything gets caught in that wind?” Lahaina parent Kalikolehua Storer said.
To quell concerns, the EPA said it plans to cover all of Lahaina in a nontoxic adhesive known as Soiltac, which prevents soil movement.
State officials have also installed air quality monitors that detect levels of fine particulate matter, which can indicate large toxins. Despite these measures, hundreds of Lahaina families have transferred their kids to nearby charter or private schools.
“Where will these officials be if our kids get sick five, 10, 15 years down the line? I do not want to be part of a class action lawsuit,” Paltin said. “I do not want to see a television commercial saying something like ‘if your kids went to Lahaina public schools between 2023 and 2025, call this law office.’ I want my kids to be safe.”
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Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
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