Putting a planned produce irradiator at Honolulu International Airport could cause significant releases of radioactive material and threaten public health and safety in the area, according to a Hawai'i environmental group.

The group, Concerned Citizens of Honolulu, this week petitioned the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold a public hearing in Honolulu before proceeding with the irradiator plans.

"Putting a facility packed with radioactive material at Hawai'i's main airport ... is almost asking for a natural disaster, air crash or terrorist attack," said David Pulson, a Concerned Citizens member.

Pa'ina Hawai'i, a private company with the support of the state Agriculture Department, has proposed building the irradiator in Honolulu to kill fruit flies and other insects in export products, including farm produce. The irradiators would allow local farmers more opportunity to market their produce on the Mainland, officials said.

Plans call for the Cobalt-60 type irradiator to be built near the end of the reef runway on Lagoon Drive, close to air cargo shipping companies

The environmental group demanded this week, however, that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission conduct a comprehensive environmental review of the project, including consideration of alternative locations and technologies.

"We're outraged that there has been no environmental review of this proposal, either by federal or state officials," said David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice, which is representing the Honolulu group in the case.

Although similar irradiators have generally been approved for use through the country, the specific type and location of the one planned for Honolulu raise new concerns, Henkin said.

The petition claims the plan has inadequate measures to prevent mechanical failures, power outages, airplane accidents, acts of sabotage or terrorism, hurricanes or tsunamis from causing significant release of radioactive material from the irradiator.

"We're talking about putting a large amount of radioactive material right next to the reef runway, which is vulnerable to natural disasters and could be a very attractive target for terrorists," Henkin said. "And there's been very little public input into the project."

In August the NRC held an information meeting on the proposal, inviting public comments and questions, a state Agriculture Department spokesman said. Several more meetings are planned in coming months, she said.

A spokesman for Pa'ina Hawaii could not be reached for comment yesterday.

In 2003, the Agriculture Department began encouraging private operators to build a commercial-scale irradiator near the airport. The only other irradiator used for food in Hawai'i produce is in Kea'au on the Big Island, where a private firm uses X-ray technology to process 4 million to 5 million pounds of papaya and other fruit for export. A proposal to build a cobalt irradiator on the Big Island stirred intense debate and a ballot initiative in 1998 when voters narrowly defeated a proposal to amend the county code to prohibit radioactive material in commercial irradiation facilities.

A similar facility in Honolulu would open up many more markets for local produce, officials said.

The process proposed by Pa'ina Hawaii involves loading materials to be irradiated into a stainless-steel chamber, then lowering it into a water-filled pool where they are exposed to radiation, according to the NRC.

The NRC has several months to respond to the petition and decide whether to hold a hearing on the project in Honolulu, Henkin said.

"We hope all the potential dangers we raised in our petition will open up the process and encourage both federal and local officials to conduct an environmental review instead of just rubber stamping this project," he said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.