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Question: My child wants to change his name. It’s OK with me, but I don’t know what his father will think. We have no contact with the father — I don’t even know where he lives — but he is listed on the birth certificate. Does a minor have to have both parents’ permission to change their name?
Answer: No, but it will complicate the process.
Name changes in Hawaii are authorized through the lieutenant governor’s office, which describes the step- by-step process on its website, at 808ne.ws/nmchg. For minors, however, that prescribed process applies only when both parents consent to the name change.
If one parent cannot be found or refuses consent, the minor “may obtain a change of name through Family Court,” according to the website, which advises people to contact the applicable court (depending on their jurisdiction) for more information.
You can find contact information for the Family Court in any Hawaii circuit at 808ne.ws/famct.
Q: In terms of radioactive contamination (808ne.ws/117KLINE), is it worse for kids? I am still upset about what happened on Saturday and can’t stop thinking about what would have happened to my family, assuming we even survived.
A: Yes. “Children are more likely to develop health effects from radiation exposure. Younger people have more cells that are dividing rapidly and tissues that are growing, and they have a longer lifespan ahead of them, giving cancers time to develop. It is especially important for children to follow protective action instructions and to seek medical attention after a radiation emergency as soon as emergency officials say it is safe to do so,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency’s website contains voluminous information about how health professionals and everyday people should react to a radiation emergency. Check 808ne.ws/radcdc to learn how and why to properly shelter-in-place, how to self-decontaminate, whether it is safe to take potassium iodide and much more, in easy-to-understand detail.
As for potential health effects, they depend on the amount of radiation absorbed (dose), the type of radioactive material, how it got in or on the person’s body and the length of time the person was exposed, the CDC says.
Exposure to large amounts of radiation in a short amount of time can cause Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), with symptoms — such as skin burns, nausea and vomiting — that require medical treatment as soon as it is safe to leave shelter. Longer term, people exposed to high doses of radiation may have a higher risk of developing cancer and suffer emotional and psychological distress, according to the CDC.
The risk is greatly diminished for those with low exposure, making rapid decontamination critical, as we explained in Wednesday’s column. Exposure to a small amount of radiation would cause no immediate health effects, and the risk of cancer longer term “is so small that it cannot be separated from exposure to chemicals, genetics, smoking or diet,” according to the CDC.
Auwe
Auwe to the people putting their whole Christmas tree on the curb on Lunalilo Home Road. It’s more than one house or condo that is doing this! They’re not bulky pickup. Stop making the neighborhood look like a dump. — A reader
Mahalo
My husband and I are in our 70s and enjoyed a nice lunch at Liliha Bakery on Dec. 19. We were so surprised, happy and grateful to learn from the waitress that a man sitting at the counter had paid for our meals. To the kind gentleman sitting at the counter and reading the newspaper, a great big mahalo for our delicious lunch! — Grateful senior couple
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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