June 5, 2007 - To see the extent of the problem, imagine a viscous tar-colored blob stretching amoebalike through the Earth. It starts where Meeker Avenue hits Newtown Creek, seeping out into the waterway. From there it extends south and steadily deeper under the Brooklyn soil, reaching a depth of about 40 feet. It’s contained from below by the groundwater in the Brooklyn-Queens aquifer: The oil is repelled by the water, so the muck “floats” on top. Like the Blob in the eponymous Steve McQueen movie, it keeps changing shape and moving—bulging south beyond the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, slithering north toward Greenpoint Avenue, ballooning west to at least Monitor Street. This black lagoon fills the nooks and crannies in the gravel, sand, and silt that characterize the soil of the area, pooling in pockets that range from just centimeters thick to natural vats that are 25 feet deep. The contaminated zone encompasses at least 55 acres of northern Brooklyn—an area roughly the size of Tribeca.
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Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
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Greenpoint has lower cancer rates than Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and many other Bklyn neighborhoods. It also has some of the lowest cancer rates in all of nyc/nys. These stats can easily be seen at
www.nyhealth.gov/statistics/cancer/registry/pdf/volume1nycneighborhoods.pdf
The above post is a perfect illustration of the smear campaign unleashed on Greenpoint ever since we had our waterfront rezoned for residential development against the wishes of the Brooklyn based politicians. The Borough President voted against the rezoning, but the community made an appeal to the Mayor and won.
None of these attacks were directed at Williamsburg when development projects started their, even though the toxic issues and high cancer rates that exist in Community board 1 exist in the Williamsburg section and not Greenpoint.
Williamsburg environmental issues have been ignored by the media. Stories have tried to divert attention away from Williamsburg toxic issues by lying about Greenpoint. The Roebling oil spill (aka Williamsburg oil spill) never even makes it in the press. It should be noted that the Greenpoint residential community was built on clean farmland in the 1800's. Even the waterfront industry in Greenpoint was clean. The major factory was a producer of rope. Not so with Williamsburg. The Eastern District terminal site along the Williamsburg waterfront is a designated toxic brownfield that was home to numerous polluting industries including the Astral oil site. These toxic brownfields are where the new residential properties are being built.
Lets do a Greenpoint vs Williamsburg toxic score card.
Liquid Natural Gas storage facilities in Williamsburg: Yes, in East Williamsburg
Liquid Natural Gas storage facilities in Greenpoint: none
Radioactive storage facilities in Williamsburg: Radiac on Kent Ave
Radioactive storage facilities in Greenpoint: none
Williamsburg oil spill size: Unknown (it might be even bigger than the Exxon Valdez) The Astral oil company operated on the Williamsburg waterfront for decades and may have spilled over 100 million gallons of oil into the ground under Williamsburg contaminating ground water and creating toxic vapors. Many of Williamsburg's cancer victims may have died because of this oil contamination. Williamsburg's high cancer rates may now be better understood. How many new residents know about the potential deadly health risks that this oil poses?
Greenpoint oil spill size: defined and now half its original size.
Williamsburg oil spill location: Under newly developed luxury condos and possibly under the majority of the developing community. The full devastating results can only be determined by a lengthy study.
Greenpoint oil spill location: Under the remote industrial property next to the East Williamsburg industrial park.
Greenpoint condos being built on former toxic brownfields: none
Williamsburg condos being built on toxic brownfields: Many (including the Eastern District Site, and now the Williamsburg Oil field site)
Blogs revealing the toxic hazards in Williamsburg: Hard to find
Blogs dedicated to spreading lies about toxic hazards in Greenpoint: You can hardly swing a stick without hitting one.
All of Greenpoint less desirable industries of the past were located in the eastern industrial section along the Newtown creek. Greenpoint's East river waterfront had been home to lumberyards, rope factories for a century and then was abandoned for nearly half a century. None of Greenpoint's East River waterfront has the toxic history that Williamsburg's Eastern district terminal has. The smear campaign unleashed on Greenpoint, just when we it was rezoned curiously excluded Williamsburg's toxic issues. The media still isn't covering the issues, just day after day coverage of hipsterville. Do a williamsburg search in the NY times. It's pretty revealing.
Luis Garden Acosta, Founder/President & CEO of El Puente, a highly respected community human rights institution that promotes leadership for peace and justice through the engagement of members (youth and adult) in the arts, education, scientific research, wellness and environmental action has called Williamsburg "the most toxic place to live in America" in a documentary created by Williamsburg based VBS organization. Other rare cancer clusters in Willamsburg have been reported.
As for the New York magazine article, The sarcoma victim listed in the article never lived in Greenpoint. This was uncovered and reported over 6 months ago. He lived on Devoe street in Williamsburg. In fact, three cases of this extremely rare sarcoma cancer are actually on that same block in Williamsburg (nowhere near the oil spill, not even in the same zip code). One more case is five blocks away and even further away from Greenpoint and the oil spill. In fact, one victim got cancer after residing in the same apartment as the cancer victim in the story. Tom Stagg in the article does not live above the spill. He lives on Newel Street. He also can't keep his story straight from news article to news article. It is not clear if he has mental problems.
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