March 31, 2009 - A family that lives 1,000 yards from the Marjol Battery site in Throop, Pennsylvania were found to have lead in their blood, at high levels for their two youngest children. Their home also tested positive for lead contamination. "Our children can't go in the yard. They can't use the swing set. They won't be able to use the pool.....The people of Throop need to know what's going on."
The Marjol site was once home to a plant that reclaimed lead from car batteries. The plant closed in 1982, but the battery landfill was contaminated with lead that posed significant health risks to neighbors of the site.
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Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Colorado residents are fearing gassed up well water
March 28, 2009 - The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Friday failed to calm angered residents who complained they were never informed that their well water might be tainted with natural gas.
Residents recently learned their neighbor, Fort Lupton resident Amee Ellsworth, could literally set her water on fire because her well is contaminated with natural gas.
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Residents recently learned their neighbor, Fort Lupton resident Amee Ellsworth, could literally set her water on fire because her well is contaminated with natural gas.
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Toxic contamination haunts Vermont neighborhood
March 29, 2009 - Years ago, it turns out, chemicals including PCE were allegedly dumped on the ground outside of Parkway Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business that once operated directly across the street from LaBelle’s home.
The latest results from test wells on the former dry cleaner site show that the PCE in the groundwater below is at 14,000 parts per billion, 2,800 percent above the state’s accepted level of 5 parts per billion.
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The latest results from test wells on the former dry cleaner site show that the PCE in the groundwater below is at 14,000 parts per billion, 2,800 percent above the state’s accepted level of 5 parts per billion.
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New Jersey residents unsettled on chromium settlement
March 29, 2009 - If Robert Harper had his way, he would have moved out of his apartment on Union Street in Jersey City years ago. Harper has spent the past year working with neighbors and doing research to find out just how much chromium is located at a property at 900 Garfield Ave. that is less than a block from him.
Chrome was produced on the site from the 1920s until the 1960s.
The waste product of the process was hexavalent chromium, a highly toxic contaminant that is thought to be the cause of many health problems, including cancer.
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Chrome was produced on the site from the 1920s until the 1960s.
The waste product of the process was hexavalent chromium, a highly toxic contaminant that is thought to be the cause of many health problems, including cancer.
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Almost one-quarter of U.S. wells contaminated, report finds
March 27, 2009 - More than one in five private wells across the United States contains at least one contaminant that poses a threat to human health, according to a comprehensive study released Friday.
In New Jersey, some wells had contaminants such as arsenic, mercury, nitrates and volatile organic compounds that were found in levels the government does not consider safe for drinking.
The United States Geological Survey studied 2,167 privately owned wells across the country, including sites in New Jersey. Of the private wells studied, 23 percent contained at least one contaminant.
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In New Jersey, some wells had contaminants such as arsenic, mercury, nitrates and volatile organic compounds that were found in levels the government does not consider safe for drinking.
The United States Geological Survey studied 2,167 privately owned wells across the country, including sites in New Jersey. Of the private wells studied, 23 percent contained at least one contaminant.
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EPA eyeballing potential hazardous waste in Kansas City
March 27, 2009-The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating a potential hazardous materials site owned by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan.
The EPA’s Region 7 headquarters announced in a news release this afternoon that inspectors are collecting samples of the material at the site, located at North First Street and Franklin Avenue in Kansas City, Kan., next to the Juniper Gardens public housing development.
The EPA visited the site earlier this week after receiving a tip from a confidential source. Once there, inspectors discovered abandoned drums, containers with unknown substances, suspected pesticide wastes, broken fluorescent light bulbs, used tires, oil, abandoned vehicles and an electrical transformer.
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The EPA’s Region 7 headquarters announced in a news release this afternoon that inspectors are collecting samples of the material at the site, located at North First Street and Franklin Avenue in Kansas City, Kan., next to the Juniper Gardens public housing development.
The EPA visited the site earlier this week after receiving a tip from a confidential source. Once there, inspectors discovered abandoned drums, containers with unknown substances, suspected pesticide wastes, broken fluorescent light bulbs, used tires, oil, abandoned vehicles and an electrical transformer.
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Utah Bill to require meth contamination disclosure to buyers, renters
March 26, 2009 -
In hindsight, HB404 should have been in place years ago, said Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, one of the bill's sponsors.
"We have 12 cops who are now dead who went into those homes not knowing the risk," Buttars said, noting that scores more are sick.
Under HB404, now awaiting the governor's signature, property owners would be required to disclose to potential buyers or renters if a structure was contaminated by meth. Enforcement would be conducted through a civil lawsuit.
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In hindsight, HB404 should have been in place years ago, said Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, one of the bill's sponsors.
"We have 12 cops who are now dead who went into those homes not knowing the risk," Buttars said, noting that scores more are sick.
Under HB404, now awaiting the governor's signature, property owners would be required to disclose to potential buyers or renters if a structure was contaminated by meth. Enforcement would be conducted through a civil lawsuit.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Champaign, IL City Council Approves Initial Cleanup Plan
March 25, 2009 - The city council gave its verbal support Tuesday to AmerenIP's plan to clean up a former manufactured-gas plant site at Fifth and Hill streets, starting in mid-April.
"We do not believe for one second it is safe to leave that contaminated groundwater in place," said Claudia Lennhoff, an organizer with the Fifth & Hill Neighborhood Rights Campaign.
Lennhoff alleged that other sites across the country have had problems with dangerous vapors being released from the ground from contaminated groundwater beneath. She said AmerenIP needs to be doing indoor vapor intrusion testing of homes in the neighborhood to make sure that isn't happening now. And she alleged groundwater could eventually recontaminate the soil, even though Ameren plans to excavate the top 10 feet of soil on the north half of the site.
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"We do not believe for one second it is safe to leave that contaminated groundwater in place," said Claudia Lennhoff, an organizer with the Fifth & Hill Neighborhood Rights Campaign.
Lennhoff alleged that other sites across the country have had problems with dangerous vapors being released from the ground from contaminated groundwater beneath. She said AmerenIP needs to be doing indoor vapor intrusion testing of homes in the neighborhood to make sure that isn't happening now. And she alleged groundwater could eventually recontaminate the soil, even though Ameren plans to excavate the top 10 feet of soil on the north half of the site.
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Exxon faces environmental contamination lawsuit in Maryland
March 23, 2009 - Ninety-one families who sued Exxon Mobile for environmental contamination have been awarded $150 million in their lawsuit. The lawsuit followed a gasoline leak that contaminated wells and forced people to buy bottled water.
The leak occurred in 2006, when an underground storage tank leaked approximately 26,000 gallons of gasoline. The leak went on for 37 days before it was discovered. Families were awarded approximately $1 million each for emotional distress plus the value of their homes and medical monitoring.
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The leak occurred in 2006, when an underground storage tank leaked approximately 26,000 gallons of gasoline. The leak went on for 37 days before it was discovered. Families were awarded approximately $1 million each for emotional distress plus the value of their homes and medical monitoring.
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Gasoline leak contaminates groundwater at Utah hotel
March 25, 2009 - Salt Lake City issued a cease and desist order against the downtown Red Lion Hotel to prevent them from pumping any more contaminated water into the city sewer system.
Guests and employees noticed a strong petroleum smell at the Red Lion Hotel on 600 South. State investigators found a leak in an underground storage tank at the Sinclair gas station next door. “It was a gasoline smell that the people in the hotel noticed and called the fire department,” said Utah Department of Environmental Quality Program Manager John Menatti.
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Guests and employees noticed a strong petroleum smell at the Red Lion Hotel on 600 South. State investigators found a leak in an underground storage tank at the Sinclair gas station next door. “It was a gasoline smell that the people in the hotel noticed and called the fire department,” said Utah Department of Environmental Quality Program Manager John Menatti.
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Contaminated water from underground storage tank sickens Colorado town
March 24, 2009 - When we talk about underground storage tanks, we normally talk about how the contents of a leaking UST contaminate surrounding soil and groundwater. This week, however, the Denver Post reported a case of the opposite when soil contaminated with deadly bacteria permeated the walls of one town’s UST.
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Contaminated wells spark controversy in Dimock, PA
March 19, 2009 - Until gas drilling began, residents of Dimock Township lived in fairly quiet obscurity in rural Susquehanna County. But when water wells along Carter Road became contaminated with methane, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) stepped in, garnering the attention of citizens, activist groups, other state agencies and regional and national media.
The spotlight intensified recently when the DEP issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) on February 27, charging that Cabot Oil and Gas Company’s drilling operations have caused one of the most troubling potential side effects of drilling—the contamination of fresh groundwater.
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The spotlight intensified recently when the DEP issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) on February 27, charging that Cabot Oil and Gas Company’s drilling operations have caused one of the most troubling potential side effects of drilling—the contamination of fresh groundwater.
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Toxic plume poses threat to Peconic River in New York
March 21, 2009 - There is a decades-old groundwater plume of volatile organic chemicals that is more than a quarter-mile wide and could stretch as far as a half-mile south of the former Northrop Grumman weapons plant in Calverton, the News-Review has learned. Traces of the toxic compounds have already been found in the Peconic River, and local authorities and community members are concerned that much greater concentrations of chemicals could foul the river within a few years -- if the U.S. Navy doesn't act swiftly to clean it.
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San Jose, CA families plagued by toxic soil from forgotten city dump seek justice
March 23, 2009 - When toxic topsoil was found in the Watson Park neighborhood — the result of decades of burning and dumping garbage — San Jose officials quickly offered to clean up the mess. Then grateful residents agreed.
But after the work was done, residents learned that the clean up came with strings. The city told them it would compensate them only up to $27,000 for any loss of property value, that they must disclose the hazard to any future homebuyer, and homeowners would be liable for any illness related to the toxins.
Additionally, though the toxins were found 13 feet deep, the city only removed 3 to 5 feet of topsoil.
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But after the work was done, residents learned that the clean up came with strings. The city told them it would compensate them only up to $27,000 for any loss of property value, that they must disclose the hazard to any future homebuyer, and homeowners would be liable for any illness related to the toxins.
Additionally, though the toxins were found 13 feet deep, the city only removed 3 to 5 feet of topsoil.
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Ithaca NY: South Hill TCE sparks lawsuit by 90 neighbors
March 21, 2009 - Alleging that the industrial solvent TCE contaminating their homes has reduced their property values and increased their risk of future illness, 90 South Hill residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Emerson Power Transmission, Emerson Electric Company, BorgWarner Inc. and Burns International Services Corporation.
The companies responded by saying they were unaware of problems or were following standard industry practices, and that if there were harm to residents, the statutes of limitation have expired.
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The companies responded by saying they were unaware of problems or were following standard industry practices, and that if there were harm to residents, the statutes of limitation have expired.
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Maryland residents urge county to work faster on seeping landfill
March 18, 2009 - Rockville residents who raised concern about a seeping landfill off Gude Drive told Montgomery officials they are not satisfied with the county's efforts to mitigate the pollution, but the officials say they are doing their best to find a solution.
Hoyt, Peter Karasik of the county Division of Solid Waste Services and David Lake of the county Department of Environmental Protection agreed with Gude Landfill Concerned Citizens that the landfill, which operated from 1964 until 1982 before laws regulated landfill safety, is contaminating the surrounding environment.
The more than 100-acre landfill is leaching chemicals like cyanide, lead, mercury, benzene and more into the surrounding soil and groundwater, many at levels above the maximum allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Hoyt, Peter Karasik of the county Division of Solid Waste Services and David Lake of the county Department of Environmental Protection agreed with Gude Landfill Concerned Citizens that the landfill, which operated from 1964 until 1982 before laws regulated landfill safety, is contaminating the surrounding environment.
The more than 100-acre landfill is leaching chemicals like cyanide, lead, mercury, benzene and more into the surrounding soil and groundwater, many at levels above the maximum allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Vapor Testing Planned for NJ Middle School
March 18, 2009- During spring recess next month, the Lakeside Middle School and nearby school board offices will undergo precautionary testing for the type of toxic vapors haunting a nearby neighborhood.
Both DuPont and the state Department of Environmental Protection already have said the school buildings on Van and Lakeside avenues are outside the zone of contamination.
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Both DuPont and the state Department of Environmental Protection already have said the school buildings on Van and Lakeside avenues are outside the zone of contamination.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Water is found tainted in Ringwood, NJ
March 17, 2009 - Contaminated water is seeping through an old iron mine in the midst of Ford Motor Co.'s former dump site, but more testing is being done to determine the origin of the chemicals, federal officials said.
Environmentalists and the residents of Ringwood, New Jersey question whether the carcinogens are flowing into streams that feed the nearby Wanaque Reservoir, which serves 2 million people.
Benzene, found at 26 times the level considered safe - and arsenic - at more than two times higher than standards allow - are 200 feet below the ground in the water at the Peters Mine.
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Environmentalists and the residents of Ringwood, New Jersey question whether the carcinogens are flowing into streams that feed the nearby Wanaque Reservoir, which serves 2 million people.
Benzene, found at 26 times the level considered safe - and arsenic - at more than two times higher than standards allow - are 200 feet below the ground in the water at the Peters Mine.
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Monday, March 16, 2009
Toxins from old Grumman site contaminating Bethpage, NY
March 15, 2009 - When Michael Barretta bought his tidy Bethpage house in 2006, he thought pollution from the nearby former Northrop Grumman defense complex had been cleaned up years ago.
But recent tests showed elevated levels of the industrial solvent trichloroethylene - a potential carcinogen also known as TCE - in the basements of four homes east of the Navy-owned property's 11th Street boundary. Contaminated soil vapor was also found under the basement slabs of two more houses.
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But recent tests showed elevated levels of the industrial solvent trichloroethylene - a potential carcinogen also known as TCE - in the basements of four homes east of the Navy-owned property's 11th Street boundary. Contaminated soil vapor was also found under the basement slabs of two more houses.
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New Jersey to probe cancer cluster at Dupont Pompton Lakes
March 12, 2009 - POMPTON LAKES -- Mayor Katie Cole has requested the results of a state health study to see if cancer clusters exist among residents living above a plume of contamination in the borough's northeastern section.
Cole said she asked for the study of the entire plume -- some 437 homes -- but especially for Barbara Drive and Orchard Street, because residents "kept coming up at meetings to say there were numerous cases of cancer at those locations."
Testing last May by DuPont, whose former explosives factory is responsible for the contamination, revealed elevated levels of chemicals or "intrusive vapors" in the groundwater under as many as 400 buildings in the plume. The pollution is from the degreasers tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), which were used as cleaners by the factory. It operated in town between 1902 and 1994.
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Cole said she asked for the study of the entire plume -- some 437 homes -- but especially for Barbara Drive and Orchard Street, because residents "kept coming up at meetings to say there were numerous cases of cancer at those locations."
Testing last May by DuPont, whose former explosives factory is responsible for the contamination, revealed elevated levels of chemicals or "intrusive vapors" in the groundwater under as many as 400 buildings in the plume. The pollution is from the degreasers tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), which were used as cleaners by the factory. It operated in town between 1902 and 1994.
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Friday, March 13, 2009
Missouri among ‘Filthy 15,’ environmental group says
March 12, 2009 - Missouri ranks twelfth among the “Filthy 15” states in terms of the number of proposed coal-fired power plants that will produce coal ash, an environmental group contends.
The four proposed plants in Missouri would produce 515,709 tons of coal ash if built, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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The four proposed plants in Missouri would produce 515,709 tons of coal ash if built, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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Environmental agency says Texas leads nation in production of coal ash waste
March 13, 2009 - As the Environmental Protection Agency moves toward controlling coal ash waste from power plants, a new study finds Texas leading the nation in current and proposed production of the waste, which contains toxic metals.
Coal ash waste has been in the news since a holding pond dam in Tennessee broke on Dec. 22, spilling 1 billion gallons of sludge. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said this week that the agency will examine safety issues nationwide and the waste's effect on water quality.
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Coal ash waste has been in the news since a holding pond dam in Tennessee broke on Dec. 22, spilling 1 billion gallons of sludge. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said this week that the agency will examine safety issues nationwide and the waste's effect on water quality.
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You Want To Build A School Where in Florida?
March 13, 2009
CBS4 I-Team has uncovered -- plans to try and build a school right next to what was a toxic waste site. In fact, it was so contamined, it made the government's list of Superfund sites in need of clean-up. The government says it cleaned up the landfill and capped it, but it's what happened next that has shocked some residents there.
"Poison, poison," replied Fort Lauderdale resident Claude Marquez. A poison -- the mention of which makes 85-year-old Claude Marquez shudder. Dioxin -- it's his neighbor.
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CBS4 I-Team has uncovered -- plans to try and build a school right next to what was a toxic waste site. In fact, it was so contamined, it made the government's list of Superfund sites in need of clean-up. The government says it cleaned up the landfill and capped it, but it's what happened next that has shocked some residents there.
"Poison, poison," replied Fort Lauderdale resident Claude Marquez. A poison -- the mention of which makes 85-year-old Claude Marquez shudder. Dioxin -- it's his neighbor.
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Maryland home owners win verdict against Exxon
March 12, 2009
TOWSON — On Feb. 21, 2006, Jodi Howe noticed helicopters circling above her home on Robcaste Road in the northern Baltimore County town of Jacksonville. The same night at a community meeting, she learned what the TV news reporters filming from the choppers already knew: a nearby ExxonMobil station had discovered a gas leak that was contaminating the local groundwater.
Three years later, on Thursday morning, Howe found out that she would receive $700,000, roughly the pre-leak value of her home, in compensatory damages for property value diminution, in addition to $1 million in non-economic damages and nearly $150,000 in medical bills for her family.
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TOWSON — On Feb. 21, 2006, Jodi Howe noticed helicopters circling above her home on Robcaste Road in the northern Baltimore County town of Jacksonville. The same night at a community meeting, she learned what the TV news reporters filming from the choppers already knew: a nearby ExxonMobil station had discovered a gas leak that was contaminating the local groundwater.
Three years later, on Thursday morning, Howe found out that she would receive $700,000, roughly the pre-leak value of her home, in compensatory damages for property value diminution, in addition to $1 million in non-economic damages and nearly $150,000 in medical bills for her family.
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Mysterious odor plagues PA neighborhood
March 11, 2009
Kerosene contamination creates vapor condition. News Chanel 6 reports: Watch Video
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Kerosene contamination creates vapor condition. News Chanel 6 reports: Watch Video
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PA Cancer Cluster Study Approved
March 12, 2009
Congress has approved $5.5 million in funding to study a cancer cluster in the Luzerne-Carbon-Schuylkill tri-county region, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter announced on Wednesday. “I am pleased that Congress has approved this funding to study the higher than usual incidence of the blood disease in this area. The community is very concerned about the problem, and they’re entitled to the best answers science can give them,” Specter said in a press release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will receive $5 million to conduct assessments of Polycythemia Vera trends and associated risk factors – including environmental risk factors – in the cancer cluster areas or in areas where potential environmental risks might exist.
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Congress has approved $5.5 million in funding to study a cancer cluster in the Luzerne-Carbon-Schuylkill tri-county region, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter announced on Wednesday. “I am pleased that Congress has approved this funding to study the higher than usual incidence of the blood disease in this area. The community is very concerned about the problem, and they’re entitled to the best answers science can give them,” Specter said in a press release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will receive $5 million to conduct assessments of Polycythemia Vera trends and associated risk factors – including environmental risk factors – in the cancer cluster areas or in areas where potential environmental risks might exist.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The federal agency charged with protecting the public near toxic pollution sites often obscures or overlooks potential health hazards
March 11, 2009 - The federal agency charged with protecting the public near toxic pollution sites often obscures or overlooks potential health hazards, uses inadequate analysis and fails to zero in on toxic culprits, congressional investigators and scientists say.
A House investigative report says officials from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry "deny, delay, minimize, trivialize or ignore legitimate health concerns."
"Time and time again ATSDR appears to avoid clearly and directly confronting the most obvious toxic culprits that harm the health of local communities throughout the nation," said the report from the House Science and Technology investigations and oversight subcommittee.
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A House investigative report says officials from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry "deny, delay, minimize, trivialize or ignore legitimate health concerns."
"Time and time again ATSDR appears to avoid clearly and directly confronting the most obvious toxic culprits that harm the health of local communities throughout the nation," said the report from the House Science and Technology investigations and oversight subcommittee.
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Oil Tank Spill Contaminates Wyoming Neighborhood
March 11, 2009 - An above-ground tank outside a home in the Oakwood Village mobile home park tipped over during the night, dumping more than 100 gallons. The oil washed down the street, flowed under some homes and made its way into a nearby pond.
The state Department of Environmental Protection and EMA plan to do air quality testing periodically over the next few days to ensure there is no health hazard. The state Fish and Boat Commission was also called in to monitor the spill and potential affects on wildlife.
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The state Department of Environmental Protection and EMA plan to do air quality testing periodically over the next few days to ensure there is no health hazard. The state Fish and Boat Commission was also called in to monitor the spill and potential affects on wildlife.
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Natural Gas Drilling Contaminates Private Water Wells in Pennsylvania
March 11, 2009 - Drilling by a natural gas extraction company caused methane contamination in private water wells in Susquehanna County's Dimock Twp., state regulators say.
The state Department of Environmental Protection notified Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. in a Feb. 27 letter the company is in violation of two state laws -- the Clean Streams Law and the Oil and Gas Act -- for allowing natural gas to contaminate groundwater in the vicinity of Carter Road.
The notice of violation comes amid an ongoing investigation into a New Year's Day explosion that shattered a concrete slab covering a private water well in the township. The company has until Friday to submit a plan to DEP to resolve the violations.
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The state Department of Environmental Protection notified Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. in a Feb. 27 letter the company is in violation of two state laws -- the Clean Streams Law and the Oil and Gas Act -- for allowing natural gas to contaminate groundwater in the vicinity of Carter Road.
The notice of violation comes amid an ongoing investigation into a New Year's Day explosion that shattered a concrete slab covering a private water well in the township. The company has until Friday to submit a plan to DEP to resolve the violations.
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Sunday, March 8, 2009
Problems with Pennsylvania water wells runs deep
March 8, 2009 - A two-year study, by Penn State Cooperative Extension, found that 40 percent of 700 wells tested failed to meet the state's safe-drinking water standards.
And most well owners were unaware of the problem.
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And most well owners were unaware of the problem.
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Friday, March 6, 2009
EPA finds elevated arsenic, lead levels in North Whitehall Pennsylvania
March 3, 2009 - Residents in six areas of North Whitehall are living with levels of arsenic and lead in their yards that are about five times higher than the average of nearby areas, U.S. EPA fficials said Monday.
Soil samples collected August to December from 81 residential properties that were once part of Mohr Orchard had an average arsenic concentration of 49 parts per million and average lead levels of 308 parts per million, said Ruth Scharr, an on-scene coordinator for the EPA.
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Soil samples collected August to December from 81 residential properties that were once part of Mohr Orchard had an average arsenic concentration of 49 parts per million and average lead levels of 308 parts per million, said Ruth Scharr, an on-scene coordinator for the EPA.
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Arizona residents' wait continues at Superfund Site
March 6, 2009 - For 20 years, residents over the Motorola 52nd Street Superfund Site have waited for government officials to clean up contaminated water deep beneath their homes. And they'll continue to wait.
Resident Martha Breitenbach, a former critical-care nurse who has a degree in chemical engineering, said the cleanup has taken too long. She's concerned that residents have been kept in the dark about possible health issues.
Remediation efforts are primarily focused on trichloroethene, known as TCE, which is the contaminant with the highest concentration found in the tainted underground water.
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Resident Martha Breitenbach, a former critical-care nurse who has a degree in chemical engineering, said the cleanup has taken too long. She's concerned that residents have been kept in the dark about possible health issues.
Remediation efforts are primarily focused on trichloroethene, known as TCE, which is the contaminant with the highest concentration found in the tainted underground water.
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Source of downtown Visalia, California well contamination sought
March 4, 2009 - Workers began drilling a series of six wells in downtown Visalia Tuesday, seeking the source of a cancer-causing chemical found in the city's water supply.
The wells will be in an area where California Department of Toxic Substances Control researchers found high levels of perchloroethylene (PCE) in water wells.
Two dry-cleaning businesses are in the area, as well as the locations of two former dry-cleaning businesses.
TCE contaminating South Hill New York homes
March 6, 2009 - Cleanup efforts in place since 1994 have focused, largely unsuccessfully, on the reservoir. With new geological and historical information, Emerson and the state Department of Environmental Conservation have determined that in fact, the leak allowed TCE from the firewater reservoir to worm its way down 85 feet below the surface where it currently poses no risk to human health or the environment, according to DEC engineer Gregg Townsend, DEC geologist Carl Cuipylo, and state health department engineer Susan Shearer.
The dumping in the sewers, on the other hand, allowed TCE to move along bedrock just below the ground's surface, spreading into neighborhoods where it enters some homes through soil vapor intrusion. TCE is considered a likely carcinogen.
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The dumping in the sewers, on the other hand, allowed TCE to move along bedrock just below the ground's surface, spreading into neighborhoods where it enters some homes through soil vapor intrusion. TCE is considered a likely carcinogen.
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Thursday, March 5, 2009
Daly City California housing complex haunted by toxic past
March 2, 2009 - When Gail Smith moved to Midway Village, a tidy public housing development near the Cow Palace in Daly City, she felt lucky to pay a reasonable rent for a great place.
She didn't know that toxic waste scraped from Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s former gas-manufacturing plant next door - a site on the state's hazardous-waste cleanup program - had been used as fill under the complex's buildings and parks.
Over the years, residents have reported breathing difficulties, headaches, skin sores and rashes, and neurological and reproductive problems. But unless the disease is rare mesothelioma from asbestos, proving a link between exposure to toxic chemicals and individual illness is almost impossible, health experts say.
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She didn't know that toxic waste scraped from Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s former gas-manufacturing plant next door - a site on the state's hazardous-waste cleanup program - had been used as fill under the complex's buildings and parks.
Over the years, residents have reported breathing difficulties, headaches, skin sores and rashes, and neurological and reproductive problems. But unless the disease is rare mesothelioma from asbestos, proving a link between exposure to toxic chemicals and individual illness is almost impossible, health experts say.
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Tennessee homeowner Foots Bill For Previous Resident's Meth Habit
February 26, 2009 -
They could not see it, smell it or touch it - but one family said they knew something in their house was making them sick.
Someone else's illegal habit may have contaminated one family's home.
Texas homebuyers encountering meth contamination
February 22, 2009 - FORT WORTH, Texas — Homebuyers are increasingly encountering unexpected problems — methamphetamine contamination — that may lead to changes in state law.
Experts say meth contamination of apartments, hotel rooms, houses, storage sheds and even cars is more common than people may imagine. Meth-making or heavy use can leave chemicals in carpets, air ducts and attics. And without proper cleanup, experts say, the chemicals linger and expose people to health risks.
Meth left a residue of trouble for Grapevine, Texas home buyers
February 22, 2009 - Experts say methamphetamine contamination of apartments, hotel rooms, houses, storage sheds and even cars is more common than people may imagine. Meth-making or heavy use can leave chemicals in carpets, air ducts and attics. And without proper cleanup, experts say, the chemicals linger and expose people to health risks. "We get calls once a week from people who are the innocent victims — who have nothing to do with drugs or dope," said Kirk Flippin, owner of Texas Decon, a New Braunfels company that tests for meth labs and does cleanups.
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Neighbors Worried About Toxic Site in Champaign Illinois
February 25, 2009 - Chemicals like Benzene and Cyanide have neighbors worried.
They're showing up in water wells, and soil in the area. Some neighbors weren't aware of how far the problem spread.
A study put on Ameren's website this week outlines how the company will take care of the chemicals under the ground. It will be digging and cleaning the soil from 10 feet below the ground, and up.
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They're showing up in water wells, and soil in the area. Some neighbors weren't aware of how far the problem spread.
A study put on Ameren's website this week outlines how the company will take care of the chemicals under the ground. It will be digging and cleaning the soil from 10 feet below the ground, and up.
More . . .
Montana asbestos trial opens
February 23, 2009 -
A federal prosecutor told jurors Monday that W.R. Grace & Co. knew for years that its products posed serious health hazards to residents of Libby, Mont., but the company hid the risks from workers and government regulators.
In opening statements at a major environmental crime trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kris McLean said the company and its executives conspired to keep those hazards a secret.
Contaminated Water in Letcher County Kentucky
February 17, 2009 - Nearly 4,000 people in Letcher County are under a non-consumption water advisory tonight after Division of Water officials confirm petroleum contamination.
“When you turn your water on it smells like gas, and you can see the, you know, see it in the water,” said Tonya Holbrook of Whitesburg.
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“When you turn your water on it smells like gas, and you can see the, you know, see it in the water,” said Tonya Holbrook of Whitesburg.
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Groundwater concerns: Longview, Texas contamination site has White Oak resident on edge
February 17, 2009 -
Some White Oak and Clarksville City residents learned in the past two weeks that their groundwater could be contaminated.
Longview city officials say it's not likely.
Shippers Car Line, a rail car repair plant in the West Longview Industrial District, sent letters to residents within a five-mile radius of the plant about the possible contamination. The letters are required, as the company wants a state environmental designation that would ease monitoring restrictions.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Brockovich adviser meets with Michigan residents on contaminated water
February 13, 2009 - Nolan Dornan has lived in Fennville his entire life and he has questions about what’s in his drinking water.
Dornan and more than 100 others filled the basement of the Fennville District Library Thursday night, Feb. 12, to see if they could get answers about contaminated water linked to the Birds Eye facility in the city of Fennville.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says Birds Eye Foods is the source of elevated arsenic, iron and manganese levels in well water of some Fennville area homes.
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Dornan and more than 100 others filled the basement of the Fennville District Library Thursday night, Feb. 12, to see if they could get answers about contaminated water linked to the Birds Eye facility in the city of Fennville.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says Birds Eye Foods is the source of elevated arsenic, iron and manganese levels in well water of some Fennville area homes.
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TCE-Related Toxic Waste in Irvine California Much Worse Than Previously Revealed
February 10, 2009 - A 2001 document Salem-News.com received this week that originated from Don Zweifel, MCAS, El Toro charter RAB member & pro bono consultant to El Toro Local Redevelopment, indicates that the underground "plume" of TCE moving underground westward away from the old base, had traveled six miles, rather than three as previously indicated. Research underway today indicates that the plume has traveled a significant distance since the six mile mark was noted in 2001.
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Indiana Residents fear for their health
February 8, 2009 - It's been five years since Peggy Richardson was able to rinse her Thanksgiving turkey under the running tap. Five years since she could wash fresh fruit without first filling up a tub with water from a bottle. Five years since she was able to shower without worrying whether contaminated water from the showerhead will harm her body.
Richardson hasn't been able to drink or cook with her tap water for the past five years because her well is contaminated with boron and molybdenum.
She lives less than half a mile from Yard 520, a landfill owned by Brown Inc. For three decades, NIPSCO stored coal ash from its Michigan City generation station there. The ash was left over from coal burned to produce electricity.
New Study Could Shed New Light On TCE Contamination in New York
February 6, 2009 - A new study could shed new light on the effects of Endicott's chemical contamination.
The study needs input from people who live in the contaminated areas.
The study needs input from people who live in the contaminated areas.
"I think it's important to get a sense of whether or not people who live in these homes feel safer with this system." says Little.
In the survey he's asking people if they think their property value has gone down because they live in the contaminated area.
Toxic Chromium Clean-Up Battle in Jersey City Heads to Federal Court
February 3, 2009 - After 25 years of negligence, the largest remaining Jersey City site riddled with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium is the focus of a citizen’s lawsuit filed today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Interfaith Community Organization (ICO). The suit calls for PPG Industries, a Pittsburgh-based corporation responsible for the toxic contamination, to clean up the 16.6-acre site and surrounding contaminated areas located in a densely populated area along Garfield Avenue.
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Keeping Up the Pressure On Brooklyn Oil Spill
February 3, 2009 - Newtown Creek, which separates Greenpoint, Brooklyn from Long Island City, Queens, is one of the most polluted bodies of water on the East Coast, the result of more than 150 years of heavy industry operating on its banks.
It is also the site of the 17-million-gallon underground Greenpoint Oil Spill, or “plume,” the result of several industrial accidents in the 1950s. Over the years, this plume has at times spilled into neighborhood basements, as well as into the creek itself.
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It is also the site of the 17-million-gallon underground Greenpoint Oil Spill, or “plume,” the result of several industrial accidents in the 1950s. Over the years, this plume has at times spilled into neighborhood basements, as well as into the creek itself.
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Ailing W.Va. towns with bad water sue over slurry
February 3, 2009 - Maria Lambert says she never had clear, odorless, tasteless water. Sometimes it felt greasy or smelled of rotten eggs. But the day a blast from a nearby strip mine shook her southern West Virginia home, it got worse.
Now, she and 250 people with orange and black water in their taps, tubs and toilets are suing eight coal companies they believe poisoned their wells by pumping mine wastes into former underground mines.
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Now, she and 250 people with orange and black water in their taps, tubs and toilets are suing eight coal companies they believe poisoned their wells by pumping mine wastes into former underground mines.
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Questions outweigh clues to cancer cluster in Clyde Ohio
February 1, 2009 - The Hiseys are from Clyde, Ohio. To them, Clyde is a slice of small-town America - a place they're proud to call home.
For reasons unknown, Clyde and Sandusky County's adjacent Green Creek, Riley, and York townships have a childhood cancer rate that the Ohio Department of Health considers to be off the charts.
An environmental trigger is thought to be the cause. But neither the state health department, the Sandusky County Health Department, nor the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency knows what it is.
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For reasons unknown, Clyde and Sandusky County's adjacent Green Creek, Riley, and York townships have a childhood cancer rate that the Ohio Department of Health considers to be off the charts.
An environmental trigger is thought to be the cause. But neither the state health department, the Sandusky County Health Department, nor the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency knows what it is.
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Shadyside Village Pennsylvania residents deal with contamination woes
January 24, 2009 - Bowser, a resident of Shadyside Village, like her neighbors, doesn't know if she will have clean, safe water again in her home, or any water at all. Worse, she doesn't know if she can remain in the house she's called home for most of her life.
The hardships of dealing with bad water in her community caused by a contaminated well is more than Bowser can take.
Health Assessment Seeks Vapor Intrusion Tests in Virginia homes
January 28, 2009 - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has recommended that the EPA test Broad Run Farms properties and homes for "vapor intrusion" to determine if the groundwater is emitting volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethylene vapors into the air. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial cleaner and probable human carcinogen found four years ago in 26 residents' wells.
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Tainted water found in nine Henrico Virginia homes
January 24, 2009 - Residents of nine houses in a western Henrico County cul-de-sac have been told not to drink their tap water, likely through the weekend, after a petroleum smell was detected in the water.
The source of the contamination has not been pinpointed, Mawyer said. But the county is looking at the possibility that kerosene or diesel got into the water line when the county was doing work in the area this week or that someone such as a private irrigation contractor made an improper connection to the line.
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The source of the contamination has not been pinpointed, Mawyer said. But the county is looking at the possibility that kerosene or diesel got into the water line when the county was doing work in the area this week or that someone such as a private irrigation contractor made an improper connection to the line.
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Residents in Naples Florida left worrying about water
January 19, 2009 - While the Navy has tested water in many houses in the Naples area, hundreds of residents remain uncertain of risks posed by their current homes and the homes they’ve recently moved out of after the Navy considered them off-limits for leasing due to possible water contamination.
The Navy began assessing health risks in the city and surrounding areas last February, following decades of illegal trash burning, dumping of toxic waste, garbage collection strikes and numerous reports on rising cancer rates and respiratory problems.
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The Navy began assessing health risks in the city and surrounding areas last February, following decades of illegal trash burning, dumping of toxic waste, garbage collection strikes and numerous reports on rising cancer rates and respiratory problems.
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Uranium found in Guilford, Connecticut home’s well
January 17, 2009 - A homeowner on White Birch Drive found slightly elevated levels of uranium in his well water in the past month, prompting town officials to encourage nearby residents to test their wells.
The initial test showed a uranium level of 42 micrograms per liter, 12 parts per billion higher than the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum level of 30 micrograms per liter, Guilford Health Director Dennis Johnson said.
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The initial test showed a uranium level of 42 micrograms per liter, 12 parts per billion higher than the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum level of 30 micrograms per liter, Guilford Health Director Dennis Johnson said.
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Deadly Toxic Chemicals from El Toro Marine Base Affect Woodbridge in Irvine California
January 14, 2009 - A Salem-News.com series that began May 1st 2007 about deadly toxic contamination at the now-closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Orange County, California, seemed like unwelcome news at the time to City of Irvine officials and public representatives for the Irvine Ranch Water District. Loose lips sink ships, but so do plenty of other things. The ship in this case, was a huge development project planned by Lenar Homes that would have turned the dangerously polluted base into an upper end housing community and public park.
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Will PCB cleanup in Michigan halt because of economy?
January 13, 2009 - When the economy goes bad, among the first casualties is environmental protection.
If anyone doubts this, consider that this month we reported the U.S. parent arm of Millennium Holdings LLC -- LyondellBasell Industries -- has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It is unknown whether the company will be able to continue to help pay for the cleanup of dangerous PCBs from the Kalamazoo River, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared a Superfund site in 1990.
The far-reaching, untold effects of contaminated water in Jacksonville, N.C.
January 11, 2009 - Over four decades, an estimated 500,000 citizens and soldiers were exposed to drinking water tainted by chemicals used at a dry-cleaning establishment near the 246-square-mile training base.
The government has known about the water pollution for more than a quarter-century. But Partain, Covella, Anderson and many others impacted by the contamination have only become aware of Lejeune's problems during the past couple of years, usually from media reports or word of mouth.
Life In The Plume: IBM's Pollution Haunts a New York Village
January 11, 2009 -
"It was very neighborly and well-kept, with lots of kids and families," said Bernadette Patrick, a nurse who last year left her native Endicott for Syracuse. "Then all of a sudden it seemed like they put, I'd describe it as a skull and crossbones on all the doors. ... It was like a scene from a science fiction movie."
The contamination of Endicott and the cleanup effort by its main polluter, IBM Corp., have established the village as one of the largest known examples of vapor intrusion, a phenomenon in which volatile chemicals creep from far underground into the air of buildings above.
Deal reached in Maryland well contamination suit
January 5, 2009 - A class-action lawsuit against Maryland
A Gambrills family filed a lawsuit in November 2007 against Constellation Energy, contending that their neighborhood’s drinking water was contaminated with coal ash, as WaterTech Online® reported. Constellation Energy and the operator of its fly ash dump site were fined $1 million by the Maryland Department of the Environment in October 2007 for contaminating drinking water in private wells.
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A Gambrills family filed a lawsuit in November 2007 against Constellation Energy, contending that their neighborhood’s drinking water was contaminated with coal ash, as WaterTech Online® reported. Constellation Energy and the operator of its fly ash dump site were fined $1 million by the Maryland Department of the Environment in October 2007 for contaminating drinking water in private wells.
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Cluster of Poolesville Maryland Women Diagnosed With Cancer
January 7, 2009 - Kelly is one of five women, including her next-door neighbor, living on Hempstone Avenue to get cancer. Now, residents are saying it seems to be too much of a coincidence.
"The people that we've seen and heard of, especially I've talked to my neighbors, have been mostly women, in their late 30s and early 40s, to have gotten cancers," Fred Kelly said.
The Kellys suspect the water in their town may be the culprit. Almost all of Poolesville, a community of 5,000, relies on town wells.
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"The people that we've seen and heard of, especially I've talked to my neighbors, have been mostly women, in their late 30s and early 40s, to have gotten cancers," Fred Kelly said.
The Kellys suspect the water in their town may be the culprit. Almost all of Poolesville, a community of 5,000, relies on town wells.
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Toxic leak upsets Beachwood California homeowners
January 6, 2009 -
When Debra Fenner and her husband bought their Beachwood-area home in the Summit Meadows development in September, there were some things they didn't know.
They said they were not told, for instance, that Ranchwood Homes, which built their house, was being sued over polluted floodwater as part of a class-action lawsuit in a Fresno federal court.
Nor were they told, they said, of the toxic leak under the neighborhood caused by a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. (Merck's lawyers have argued that although there was pollution of the water by its subsidiary, there's no evidence anyone got sick from it.)
Like spill site in East Tennessee, Gallatin, TN plant puts ash in ponds
January 4, 2009 - Betty Johnson of Gallatin lives more than 100 miles from East Tennessee's massive ash sludge spill. But to her and her neighbors, the disaster hit a little too close to home.
That's because they're in the shadow of another Tennessee Valley Authority power plant — which uses the same method to store coal ash as the one that failed at the Kingston plant last month, spilling tons of potentially toxic sludge into the surrounding community.
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That's because they're in the shadow of another Tennessee Valley Authority power plant — which uses the same method to store coal ash as the one that failed at the Kingston plant last month, spilling tons of potentially toxic sludge into the surrounding community.
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