USU’s National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Selects University of Hawaii to Establish Independent Red Hill Exposure Registry

NCDMPH has selected the University of Hawaii (UH) to create and operate an independent registry of individuals who were exposed to, or at risk of exposure to, the Red Hill fuel release in November 2021. 

U.S. Air Force Airmen with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Pearl Harbor Public Works Department transport steel drum spill containment barrels to a secondary holding site as part of NAVFAC Public Works Department and Joint Task Force-Red Hill’s (JTF-RH) hazard material spill recovery operation at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) in Halawa, Hawaii, Dec. 1, 2022. Remediation of the spill site through excavation and removal of contaminated surfaces and material was immediately initiated after an estimated 1,100 gallons of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) concentrate spilled from the fire suppression system at RHBFSF Adit 6 on Nov. 29, 2022. JTF-RH was established by the Department of Defense to ensure the safe and expeditious defueling of the RHBFSF. (DoD photo by Spc. Matthew Mackintosh)
U.S. Air Force Airmen with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Fleet Logistics
Center (FLC) Pearl Harbor Public Works Department transport steel drum spill containment barrels to a
secondary holding site as part of NAVFAC Public Works Department and Joint Task Force-Red Hill’s 
(JTF-RH) hazard material spill recovery operation at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) 
in Halawa, Hawaii, Dec. 1, 2022. (DoD photo by Spc. Matthew Mackintosh)

June 21, 2024 External Affairs Release

The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH), a component of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), has selected the University of Hawaii (UH) to create and operate an independent registry of individuals who were exposed to, or at risk of exposure to, the Red Hill fuel release in November 2021. 

Jet Petroleum-5 (JP-5) aviation fuel and fuel additives infiltrated the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system that served an estimated 90,000 individuals. Recognizing the significance of monitoring the health of those exposed and understanding the health ramifications of exposure, the establishment of the independent Red Hill registry is a crucial step forward.   

USU will manage a multi-year award from the Department of Defense to fund the registry. UH is a member of NCDMPH's Joint Disaster Medicine and Public Health Ecosystem, and was selected to establish and manage the independent Red Hill registry based on the University’s strong ties with the local community and deep expertise in the fields of environmental science and public health. NCDMPH will direct and coordinate efforts with UH to collect this critical information and assess any health effects of exposure to JP-5 and fuel additives.

NCDMPH’s Ecosystem is a collaboration of medical and public health partners across the Nation that allows the center to leverage diverse areas of expertise on behalf of the federal government. This model enables NCDMPH to quickly mobilize needed capabilities from multiple organizations with demonstrated excellence in public health and medicine. 

“A well-designed independent registry with as many eligible individuals enrolled as possible is the best means to study the long-term health impacts of the November 2021 Red Hill fuel release,” said Rear Admiral Brandon Taylor, director of Defense Health Agency Public Health. “We are committed to a fully independent registry operated in the best interests of those exposed to the Red Hill fuel release.”

"We are committed to safeguarding the health and well-being of individuals affected by the Red Hill fuel release," stated Dr. Jeffrey Freeman, director of the NCDMPH. "Through this award to the University of Hawaii to establish an independent Red Hill registry, we strive to provide comprehensive support to those impacted and contribute to a deeper understanding of the health consequences of such environmental disasters."