Hawaii's Hidden H2S Scandal: Puna Poisoning vs. Global Reality

wearepuna
4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

In Puna, Hawaii, residents endure daily exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)—a toxic gas released by Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), operated by Ormat Technologies (an Israeli-founded company with its main roots in Israel). Locals report repeated "gassing" causing eye irritation, respiratory issues, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and worse for decades. Yet Hawaii officials and regulators appear to minimize, downplay, or fail to at all address these chronic low-level releases

H₂S, infamous for its rotten-egg smell, is a known neurotoxin and respiratory poison. At low concentrations (tens to hundreds of ppb), studies link it to irritation, sleep disruption, and long-term effects like headaches and cognitive issues. Higher spikes (ppm range) cause acute poisoning; over 100 ppm is immediately dangerous to life, with rapid unconsciousness or death possible at 500–700+ ppm. OSHA sets workplace ceilings at 20 ppm (with short peaks), while many experts and ambient standards worldwide push far lower for public safety—often 5–25 ppb hourly to protect vulnerable populations.

The West Virginia Contrast:

Just days ago in West Virginia, a chemical reaction at a silver recovery plant produced H₂S gas, killing two workers and hospitalizing dozens, just for being in tge surrounding area! Authorities acted swiftly with shelter-in-place orders and investigations—standard response when this gas escapes as it can kill quickly.

In Puna, ongoing releases, blowouts, and complaints over the years have led to fines, such as EPA penalties for safety infractions, which PGV consistently avoids paying. They are expected to take corrective actions, which they fail to implement. Residents claim there is no enforcement. (LINK TO VIRGINIA H2S DEATH STORY FROM 2 DAYS AGO AT END OF THIS ARTICLE BELOW!)

Earlier studies reported higher rates of respiratory issues in Puna areas compared to state averages. Community members describe persistent symptoms that have been overlooked due to reliance on "best available control technology" instead of a zero-tolerance approach for a known hazard. Hawaii's ambient standard is 25 ppb hourly—strict in theory—but critics claim there is a lack of actual enforcement, transparency, and independent health studies, particularly in the rural lower Puna district where the geothermal facility is located. They argue that if any health studies had been conducted or if monitoring were in place, the population would not have been fighting for recognition for so long, since the early 1990s.

Geothermal is said to provide renewable energy (it is not. It is toxic lol! Its not sustainable not clean , it actually kills) but H₂S is an unavoidable byproduct when tapping volcanic steam, along with many ither life ending chemicals within the emmisions. Elsewhere, industrial accidents trigger alarms and accountability. In Puna, daily venting and more then occasional toxic surges seem normalized, with accusations of inadequate monitoring, notification delays, and prioritization of power production over public health in a volcano-adjacent community already facing lava and seismic risks.

This isn't merely "natural" volcanic gas—it's concentrated and released through industrial activities. At KahuPuna, we strive to address the widespread mockery and ignorance surrounding this issue. The typical reaction, as people laugh at us—those who live with and endure this for generations—is "it's just a volcano," which couldn't be more incorrect. There is nothing natural about injecting 4.3 million gallons a day of carcinogens into a volcano, while the fake state entirely conceals the suffering of families within its vicinity, allowing it to remain completely unmonitored and unregulated. - Jasmine Steiner KahuPuna Aloha Activism

Puna families deserve the same urgent protection afforded elsewhere when H₂S turns deadly. Transparency, rigorous independent monitoring, and genuine mitigation aren't optional when the science is clear: this gas harms and can kill.

The insanity is the disparity. One standard for most of the world; another, apparently, for Puna.

Jasmine Steiner

KahuPuna

LERZ Puna News Weekly (FB)

important article , take note of the entire community response to h2s in Virginia and then look at the puna people who have been begging for any acknowledgement for decades living in H2S.....