FLT ATTENDANT RPT; DC10-30; ORD-HNL; ACRID; INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL CHANGING TO CHEMICAL SMELL AT DOOR 3R FOR 5 HRS. DIVERT TO SFO.

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DURING THE BOARDING PROCESS; FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX NOTICED A BURNING TYPE SMELL AT 3R. MAINT WAS CALLED. THE CAPT AND ANOTHER PLT CAME BACK TO DETERMINE SOURCE AND SEVERITY OF SMELL. I WAS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED AT THIS POINT; AS I WAS #2 FLT ATTENDANT AND NEEDED TO STAY IN AFT PORTION OF ACFT. AS I HEARD IT; THEY DECIDED TO GO AS THE SMELL DISAPPEARED. THROUGHOUT THE NEXT 5 HRS OF FLT; THE SMELL RETURNED INTERMITTENTLY AND CHANGED SMELLS. IT WENT FROM AN ELECTRICAL SMELL TO ONE OF A CHEMICAL/ACRID NATURE. WE HAD THE 2-4 PAX AT THE 3R AREA MONITORING THE SMELL. WE ASKED THEM TO RING THE CALL BELL UNTIL ONE OF US RESPONDED AND TO GAUGE STRENGTH AND DURATION OF SMELL FOR US. WE CALLED COCKPIT EACH TIME. THE CAPT WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED AND THEN WHEN THE SMELL SEEMED TO BE OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY; AND WE WERE 1 HR PAST SFO; HE DECIDED TO DIVERT. HE RELAYED INFO TO US AND LET US KNOW THAT IF AN EMER MANIFESTED; OUR OPTIONS WERE NEXT TO NONE IF OVER WATER. SO BACK WE WENT AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. PAX AND CREW ALIKE COMPLAINED THAT THE SMELL HAD CHANGED FORM AT SOME POINT INFLT. THEY SAID IT HURT THEIR EYES; NOSES; AND SOME SAID THEY DEVELOPED HEADACHES AND SLIGHT DIZZINESS. I NOTICED NOTHING MYSELF.