October 6, 2008 - According to EPA officials, between the early 1960s and mid 70s, cleaning solvents were spilled onto the ground at Holiday Cleaners, causing the ground to be contaminated with water concentrations to be higher than EPA standards.
“The presence of chlorinated solvents in ground water as the GCSP site is a result of releases from dry cleaning operations,” the EPA reported stated.
The contamination was discovered in 1993 by the New Mexico Environmental Department and the agency immediately contacted the EPA and the investigation began. In 2004 the site was listed on the National Priorities Listing. In 2006 a Record of Decision was signed by the EPA making it a Superfund site.
The primary contaminant of concern is PCE, which has been found at levels up to 51,000 parts per billion in the ground water. The federal drinking water standard allowable under the Safe Drinking Water Act is 5 ppb.
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Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
Friday, October 24, 2008
More information about the toxic waste exposure of Marines at the El Toro Air Station is emerging
October 6, 2008 - The Marine Corps takes great pride "in taking care of its own", but the Naval services have not done a good job notifying veterans who were stationed at former MCAS Toro that they are at risk for exposure to toxic chemicals as a result of the contamination of the soil and groundwater. Very few know of their exposure.
Marines who served at Camp Lejeune, El Toro and possibly several locations, have been exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) and Perchloroethylene (PCE), and they may suffer serious health consequences, and have no idea of what hit them.
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Marines who served at Camp Lejeune, El Toro and possibly several locations, have been exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) and Perchloroethylene (PCE), and they may suffer serious health consequences, and have no idea of what hit them.
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Orlando weighs paying to clean up toxic mess
October 4, 2008 - Orlando leaders are considering whether to come up with nearly $13million to clean up a toxic mess near downtown that the city didn't cause and doesn't have to pay for.
One big motivation behind the deal: "The City Beautiful" does not want the federal government to declare one of its core neighborhoods a Superfund site. If that happened, Mayor Buddy Dyer said, property values could plummet.
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One big motivation behind the deal: "The City Beautiful" does not want the federal government to declare one of its core neighborhoods a Superfund site. If that happened, Mayor Buddy Dyer said, property values could plummet.
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Dry cleaner chemicals linked to huge contamination plume under Las Vegas homes
September 29, 2008 - A massive plume of pollution under acres of homes, roads and a golf course in central Las Vegas is the worst of 28 sites in the valley contaminated by the same chemical.
The gas-like mass of perchloroethylene, PCE, also known as tetrachloroethylene, or TCE, is emblematic of the intersection of older, less regulated Vegas — indeed, the entire nation — with a world of science that discovers dangers in commonplace practices of years past.
The chemical is widely used for metal degreasing as well as for dry cleaning fabrics. Inhalation of its fumes can cause neurological, liver and kidney problems, according to the EPA. Studies have found that prolonged exposure increases the risk of cancer. The EPA is currently reassessing its potential carcinogenicity.
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The gas-like mass of perchloroethylene, PCE, also known as tetrachloroethylene, or TCE, is emblematic of the intersection of older, less regulated Vegas — indeed, the entire nation — with a world of science that discovers dangers in commonplace practices of years past.
The chemical is widely used for metal degreasing as well as for dry cleaning fabrics. Inhalation of its fumes can cause neurological, liver and kidney problems, according to the EPA. Studies have found that prolonged exposure increases the risk of cancer. The EPA is currently reassessing its potential carcinogenicity.
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Montana Senator Questions why EPA did not Declare Emergency in Libby
October 2, 2008 - A hearing was recently held on September 25 by U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana to question why the federal Environmental Protection Agency did not declare a public health emergency in Libby, Montana in 2002. Doing so would have provided more funding and manpower in cleaning up the contaminated town.
On April 9, 2002, an EPA spokesperson actually wrote that the declaration would be made within the next ten days. However, seven days later agency officials met with White House representatives and decided not declare the emergency.
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On April 9, 2002, an EPA spokesperson actually wrote that the declaration would be made within the next ten days. However, seven days later agency officials met with White House representatives and decided not declare the emergency.
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
Uranium contamination threatens Hopi water supply in Arizona
Setpember 25, 2008 - Uranium leaks discovered in the groundwater have come closer to contaminating the entire supply of drinking water for two villages in the Hopi reservation.
A series of studies conducted by consultants of the Hopi tribe and Navajo Nation show uranium contamination within 100 feet of water supply wells that provide all the drinking water to the village of Lower Moencopi. In addition, contamination is within 2,000 feet of the water supply spring that provides all the drinking water to the village of Upper Moenkopi. As of the 2000 census, the two villages are home to 901 people.
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A series of studies conducted by consultants of the Hopi tribe and Navajo Nation show uranium contamination within 100 feet of water supply wells that provide all the drinking water to the village of Lower Moencopi. In addition, contamination is within 2,000 feet of the water supply spring that provides all the drinking water to the village of Upper Moenkopi. As of the 2000 census, the two villages are home to 901 people.
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EPA won't limit toxic pollutant in drinking water
September 22, 2008 - The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country.
The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.
The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a "meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems."
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The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.
The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a "meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems."
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Pesticides from old peach orchards have tainted wells in North Carolina
September 21, 2008 - Many of the peach orchards have faded away, but their legacy haunts the people who claim the sandy soil. Their groundwater is contaminated by pesticides that may cause cancer.
Tests have found 117 tainted wells in Montgomery, Richmond and Moore counties in the past year, 77 of those at unsafe levels. The number continues to grow as alarmed residents have their water analyzed.
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Tests have found 117 tainted wells in Montgomery, Richmond and Moore counties in the past year, 77 of those at unsafe levels. The number continues to grow as alarmed residents have their water analyzed.
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
South Carolina Study: Victor Mill toxins 'widespread'
September 19, 2008 - An analysis by a company hired by the federal government to assess environmental hazards at the defunct Victor Mill site shows widespread contamination with byproducts of combustion such as coal, which must be addressed before the site can be redeveloped.
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
North Carolina peach orchards land contaminated
September 20, 2008 - Millions of years after ancient oceans receded, the rolling dunes called the Sandhills offered well-drained soil and frost protection for what would become North Carolina's peach belt.
Many of those orchards have faded away, but their legacy haunts the people who claim the sandy soil. Their groundwater is contaminated by pesticides that may cause cancer.
Tests have found 117 tainted wells in Montgomery, Richmond and Moore counties in the past year, 77 of those at unsafe levels. The number continues to grow as alarmed residents have their water analyzed.
Uranium contamination found in Idaho drinking wells
September 16, 2008 - MERIDIAN, ID — Uranium has been found in the wells that provide drinking water for a 285-home subdivision near here, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has suggested the city provide a solution.
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Asbestos Contamination in Stratford, Connecticut Raises Concern
September 15, 2008 - In 2007, the EPA proposed excavating no less than 24 contaminated sites around Stratford, including recapping the softball field again.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Massachusetts Wells near gas station being tested after soil contamination found
September 111, 2008 - Testing is being conducted on two private wells within 500 feet of the now defunct Point Gas Station at the corner of Middleboro and County roads after contamination was found in the soil at the site.
Health Agent Paul R. Bourgeois said the contaminated soil was found there after the new owner of the site, Mickey Higgins, applied for new gasoline tanks. The former Point Gas Station has been closed for two years, according to Bourgeois.
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Health Agent Paul R. Bourgeois said the contaminated soil was found there after the new owner of the site, Mickey Higgins, applied for new gasoline tanks. The former Point Gas Station has been closed for two years, according to Bourgeois.
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Are You Living In An Old Meth Lab?
September 11, 2008 - Local 2 Investigates uncovered a hidden danger lurking in dozens of homes and apartments: old meth labs shut down by law enforcement but never fully cleaned.
Most of us would never think of moving into a home that was once a meth lab. Local 2 Investigates found people moving into these homes all over Houston and the surrounding counties -- they just don't know it.
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Most of us would never think of moving into a home that was once a meth lab. Local 2 Investigates found people moving into these homes all over Houston and the surrounding counties -- they just don't know it.
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Wells in Cape May County, New Jersey tainted with bacteriological, organic, inorganic or radiological contamination
From September 2002 to April 2007, over 3,000 wells in this county (51,000 statewide) were tested under the state’s Private Well Testing Act (PWTA), which requires well testing as part of real estate transactions. The law allows home buyers and tenants to be informed about the quality of their potable water supply.
According to the county Health Department Web site, there are 9,800 domestic wells in this county and the PWTA report estimates approximately 400,000 wells statewide.
Of the different types of contamination cited in the report, this county’s wells were most affected by the inorganic chemical – nitrate. Ninety-nine of the 3,058 test wells (3.2 percent) were found to have elevated nitrate levels.
New toxin discovered in S. Seattle neighborhood
September 12, 2008 -
SEATTLE - Another dangerous toxin has shown up in a section of Seattle's South Park neighborhood that is already a Superfund site because of PCB contaimination.
Agencies believe the asphalt company that once operated there, called the Malarky Asphalt Company, contaminated the soil before it shut down.
Highly toxic dioxins found in dirt in Seattle neighborhood
September 12, 2008 - A polluted corner of the South Park neighborhood long known to harbor cancer-causing PCBs also is contaminated with highly toxic dioxins, test results revealed on Thursday.
City officials fanned out Thursday night to inform residents of the new findings, saying that while they don't believe the dioxins pose an immediate health threat, the readings exceed a government-set cleanup level.
Water contamination may be affecting Texas wells
September 9, 2008 -
The Environmental Protection Agency is keeping a very close eye on a contamination situation in Leon Valley. Reports released to News 4, from the EPA, confirm well water has been affected. They also say there is a potential threat to the Edwards Aquifer. News 4 Trouble Shooter Mireya Villarreal uncovers more details about the problem.
The Environmental Protection Agency believes the contamination has been around for more than 10 years. Dozens of homes and a handful of businesses in Leon Valley have been affected by the water contamination, which was first discovered by the EPA less than two years ago.
Have you had a dose of toxins today?
September 11, 2008 - The poison is everywhere. Lurking in baby bottles, tainting our reservoirs, contaminating the food we eat and the air we breathe.
We are under siege by minuscule traces of sinister chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, whose cumulative damage is unknown – but which probably are responsible for the soaring rates of cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, obesity, infertility, misbehaving children, and other scourges of Western civilization.
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We are under siege by minuscule traces of sinister chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, whose cumulative damage is unknown – but which probably are responsible for the soaring rates of cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, obesity, infertility, misbehaving children, and other scourges of Western civilization.
More . . .
Pennsylvania nears end of cancer study
September 7, 2008 - A Pennsylvania Bureau of Epidemiology investigation of cancer cases among Susquehanna University alumni, protracted by the challenges of obtaining illness data from other states, has entered its final stages.
The investigation was triggered by a March 2007 report in The Patriot-News that detailed cases of cancer among residents and university alumni, many of whom had lived in an off-campus area in Selinsgrove near a contaminated mill site.
In the article, two epidemiologists -- which study how diseases spread -- and an environmental contamination specialist said the situation warranted formal review as a potential cancer cluster.
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The investigation was triggered by a March 2007 report in The Patriot-News that detailed cases of cancer among residents and university alumni, many of whom had lived in an off-campus area in Selinsgrove near a contaminated mill site.
In the article, two epidemiologists -- which study how diseases spread -- and an environmental contamination specialist said the situation warranted formal review as a potential cancer cluster.
More . . .
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