Kā ka luna hoʻoponopono nota: Unuhi ʻia na Ākea Kahikina. Click here to read this article in English. 

ʻO ka noho paʻa ʻana ma ka hale ma ka wā maʻi ahulau a me nā kipa kauka i paneʻe ʻia, ʻo ia nō paha kekahi mau kumu no ke emi ʻana iho i nā hōʻike kēpau no nā keiki ma Hawaiʻi nei i kēlā makahiki aku nei, wahi a nā loea olakino lehulehu e makaʻu i ka huʻe ʻole ʻana o kekahi mau kūlana ʻē aʻe o ka hoʻomaʻi kēpau ʻia ʻana ma ka pae ʻāina.

Ua haʻahaʻa ʻē ka nui o ka hōʻike kēpau ʻana ma kēia pae ʻāina nei, a ua like ua nui nei ma ko ʻAmelika nui: e hōʻike ʻia kekahi hapahā o ko Hawaiʻi mau keiki i kēlā me kēia makahiki, a ma o nā kānaka e pale ʻia e ka ʻinikua olakino pekelala i koi ʻia, he 40% ka nui e hōʻike ʻia.

Ua ālai ka maʻi ahulau ʻo COVID-19 i ka hōʻike ʻana i nā keiki i kohu like ʻole me ka maʻamau, wahi a ka ʻikepili hou a ka polokalamu ʻo Hawaii Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Ua emi mai ka nui o nā hoʻike ma ke ʻano he 20% ma ka makahiki 2020 ke hoʻohālikelike ʻia me ko ka makahiki 2019, keu hoʻi nā mahina kau kupulau a me ke kauwela. Ma ʻApelila ma ka mālama ʻia ʻana o ke kauoha noho paʻa ʻana ma ka hale, ua emi iho ka nui o nā hōʻike ma ke ʻano he 65% ke hoʻohālikelike ʻia me ko kēlā mahina like mai kēlā makahiki aku nei.

Ua kohu like ko Hawaiʻi nui hōʻike ʻana me ko ke aupuni mau helu, ʻoiai ʻaʻole e koi ʻia ka hōʻike kēpau ma ka hapanui o nā mokuʻāina, a ua like ke emi ʻana iho ma nā mokuʻāina ʻē aʻe ma ka hapa mua o ka makahiki 2020, wahi a kekahi hōʻike hou mai ka Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ʻO Deborah Zysman, ʻo ia ke alakaʻi hoʻokō ma Hawaii Children’s Action Network i ʻōlelo penei, ua pili ke emi ʻana iho o kā hōʻike ʻana i ka makaʻu i ka hele kino ʻana i ke keʻena kauka.

“ʻAʻole nō paha i hana ʻole ʻia nā hōʻike e nā kauka, ʻo ia nō paha ka hele ʻole ʻana o nā keiki no nā kipa hōʻoia olakino. He pilikia kēlā ma nā ʻaoʻao like ʻole he nui,” wahi āna.

Hiki i ka nui a me ka liʻiliʻi o ke kēpau ma loko o ke kino keiki ke hoʻopōʻino mau loa i ke olakino o ke kino a me ka noʻonoʻo. Akā he maʻalahi ka hala ʻana i ka hoʻomaʻi ʻia, ʻoiai ʻaʻole mōakāka nā ʻōuli a i ʻole e ʻōʻili lohi mai ana ua mau ʻōuli nei ma hope loa aku.

Ma ke ʻano he hopena, e poholopū ana nō paha nā keiki he kini i ka ʻupena palekana a ka hōʻike ʻana e mālama aku ai, a ʻo ka hoʻowaiho ʻia akula nō ia o lākou i ke kēpau no ka manawa he lōʻihi, a hiki ke loaʻa ma nā mea maʻamau, e laʻa ka pena māihi, nā pā ʻai, ka lepo, a i ʻole ka lāmeka.

“ʻO kēia kekahi o nā pilikia ola kino e hiki ke keʻakeʻa pono ʻia ma ke ʻano he 100%, akā ʻaʻole hiki i kēia ke kuhi pono ʻia,” wahi a Diana Felton, ʻo ia ke kauka lāʻau make no ka mokuʻāina ma ka Hawaii Department of Health Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office.

E hala aku ana nā hōʻike aʻo a me nā hōʻike hoʻomōhala i nā keiki, a ʻo ia kekahi alahele e kuhi ʻia ai ka hoʻomaʻi kēpau ʻia, wahi a Derek Priddy, ʻo ia hoʻi ka luna hoʻonohonoho o ka Hawaii lead program. ʻO nā kānaka e kuhi pinepine i nā pilikia hoʻomōhala, hana lākou ma nā kikowaena olakino, nā kula kamaliʻi, a me nā kikowaena mālama keiki.

Ma ka pani ʻia ʻana o nā kula a me nā kikowaena e COVID-19, ua nui aʻe ka manawa a nā keiki i noho aku ai ma ka hale.

“ʻOi aku ka maikaʻi ke kuhi ʻia kēia mau ʻano mea ma nā manawa mua loa e loaʻa ai ka hoʻopakele ʻana,” wahi āna. “Ua hoʻokū ka maʻi ahulau i ka nui o kēlā ʻano mea.”

*Ka helu o nā hōʻike koko kēpau i hana ʻia ma o nā keiki i piha ka makahiki ʻeono a emi aku
Pākuhi: Eleni Avendano/Civil Beat Kumu: Hawaii Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Ke kuhi ʻole ʻia ka hoʻomaʻi kēpau, e hoʻolōʻihi ʻia ana nō paha ka hoʻowaiho ʻia ʻana o ke kēpau i ke keiki. ʻO kekahi kanaaho, ʻo ia ka hiki ʻana o ko Hawaiʻi anilā a me ka nohona ma waho ke hoʻololi i kēlā, wahi a Felton. Hōʻike pinepine nā mokuʻāina ʻē aʻe i ka ʻoi o ka nui o ke koko kēpau ma nā mahina hoʻoilo me nā keiki e noho ana i loko o ka hale. Hiki nō paha i nā mākua ke pohala ma hope o ka hoʻowaiho iki ʻia ʻana — ʻoi aku ka pōʻino o ka hoʻomaʻi kēpau ma ka wā kamaliʻi.

Ma o nā keiki he haneli e hōʻike ʻia, ma kahi o hoʻokahi keiki e loaʻa ai he pae kiʻekiʻe o ke kēpau ma ke koko. ʻO ka nui o nā keiki i loaʻa ka nui ʻino o ke kēpau ma ke koko, ua hoʻonui ʻia ka nui mai 1.04% ma ka makahiki 2019 a i 1.09% ma ka makahiki 2020, ma muli nō paha o ka liʻiliʻi o ka nui kanaka i hōʻike ʻia. Ma o nā kānaka i hōʻike ʻia he 14,543 i kēlā makahiki aku nei, he 159 nā kānaka i loaʻa ka nui ʻino o ke kēpau ma ko lākou koko ponoʻī.

ʻAʻole mōakāka ia inā he hoʻonui ko ka hoʻomaʻi kēpau ma ka pae aupuni, akā ua hōʻike nā mea noiʻi CDC i ke emi ʻana o ka nui o nā keiki i hōʻike kēpau ʻia ma ke ʻano he 500,000 ma nā mokuʻāina he 34 ma nā mahina ʻelima mua loa o ka makahiki 2020 ke hoʻohālikelike ʻia me ko ka wā like mai kēlā makahiki aku nei. A ʻo ka hala akula nō ia o nā keiki he 10,000 me ke koko pilikia ma ka hapa mua o kēlā makahiki aku nei.

Mau nō ke kuhi ʻana aku o nā loea i ka lawa ʻole o ka hōʻike ʻana ma Hawaiʻi e maopopo leʻa ai ka nui maoli o nā keiki e hoʻopōʻino ʻia e ka hoʻomaʻi kēpau.

He paʻakikī nō paha ka ʻimi ʻana i ke kumu kēpau me ka ʻole o ka mīkini ana kēpau o ka loea — he ʻenehana a ka Department of Health i kūʻai mai ai no ka manawa mua loa ma ka makahiki 2020.

E like me kā Civil Beat i kūkala aku ai i kēlā makahiki aku nei, ma kekahi kūlana kikoʻī, ua hala ʻelua mau pule ma ka ʻimi ʻana o kekahi mau mākua ma Kauaʻi i ke kumu kēpau e pilikia ai kā lāua pēpē kaikamahine. Ua kūkulu ʻia ko lākou hale ma ka makahiki 2005, no laila ua maopopo iā lākou, ʻaʻole ka pena kahiko ke kumu. A laila, ua ʻimi lākou a loaʻa kekahi ʻōmole waha nui i hōʻenamela ʻia mai kekahi kūʻai hale kaʻa, a ua loaʻa nā lāʻau pulupulu me ke ehu lepo kēpau — ʻo nā lāʻau pulupulu like a lākou i hoʻohana ai no ka hāʻawi ʻia ʻana o ka lāʻau ola e moni ʻia.

Ua hoʻohihia ka maʻi ahulau i nā noiʻina a ua hoʻolohi ia i ka hana e hemo ai i ke kēpau ma nā hale ma nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe ma muli o ka pāpā ʻia ʻana o ka huakaʻi ʻana i nā mokupuni. Ua hiki naʻe i ka polokalamu keʻakeʻa kēpau ke hoʻonui i ka nui o nā kipa home ma Oʻahu.

Ua kūkā wikiō nā limahana no Oʻahu me nā ʻohana ma nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe no ke kōkua ʻana iā lākou e ʻimi i ke kumu kēpau ma ko lākou home ponoʻī.

“Aia nō kekahi mau kūlana ma kekahi o nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe no mākou e noiʻi ai, akā ʻaʻole hiki iā mākou ke hana pēlā, no laila e hoʻoponopono ana mākou i kēlā ma o nā kahu maʻi e noho ʻē ana ma kēlā mau mokupuni a me nā noiʻina punaewele,” wahi a Felton. “ʻAʻole kēia ka mea e makemake ʻia, akā ke hana pono aku nei kēia.”

Ke hoʻonui hou aʻe ka nui o ka hōʻike ʻana, akā mahuʻi ʻo Felton i ka pōʻino nui ʻia ʻana nō paha o nā lāhui kanaka pā wale i nā pilikia pilikanaka a me ka hoʻokele waiwai.

Ma ʻAmelika, hiki ke wānana ʻia ka hoʻowaiho ʻia ʻana o ke kēpau ma nā kaiāulu ma o nā kūkulu kahiko, ka pena kēpau a i ʻole nā paipū e kahiko ana. Ma Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole like ka maʻalahi, wahi a Kelly Hoffman, ʻo ia kekahi laekahi noiʻi maʻi ahulau ma ka polokalamu keʻakeʻa kēpau.

ʻO ko Hawaiʻi ʻōnaehana ʻānō e wānana i ka hoʻowaiho ʻia ʻana o ke kēpau, hoʻohana ia mea i nā māka ʻāina a me nā anamanaʻo kikowaena olakino e kuhi ʻole ana nō paha i kekahi mau kūlana. ʻO ia hoʻi, ʻaʻole nō paha makepono ka hoʻokoʻikoʻi ʻana i nā māhele ʻāina ma Hawaiʻi, a ʻo ia ka mea a lākou mea noiʻi ʻo Hoffman e kālailai aku ai.

“Ma ʻAmelika, ʻo ka pena a i ʻole ka wai ke kumu kēpau, a ma nā hale, hiki ke ʻimi ʻia nā wahi hopohopo nui wahi a ka ʻāina,” wahi āna. “Akā ma Hawaiʻi, he laulā ka nui o ko mākou kumu like ʻole…Ua like ko mākou ʻōnaehana hopohopo me kā nā mokuʻāina ʻē aʻe i hana aku ai, akā ʻaʻole paʻa ko mākou manaʻo inā ʻo kēlā ka ʻoi no ko mākou mokuʻāina. Inā e hōʻike mai ana kēia noiʻina i ka pili ʻole o ka nui kēpau ʻana ma ke koko i nā wahi kikoʻī, e hōʻike pū ʻia mai ana ka pono no ka hōʻike kūlike honua ʻana ma Hawaiʻi.”

ʻO ka hoʻonui ʻana aʻe wale nō o ka nui hōʻike ʻana e huʻe leʻa i ka nui maoli o ka pilikia, wahi a Zysman.

“Maopopo iā mākou i ke kūpono ʻole o ke kēpau nui a me kēpau iki,” wahi āna. “ʻO ia kekahi haʻawina no Flint a me Baltimore. ʻAʻole mākou makemake e kū aku ma kēlā kūlana.”