Thursday, October 6, 2016

EPA Finalizes $11 Million Cleanup Plan for the Standard Chlorine Chemical Site

EPA Finalizes $11 Million Cleanup Plan for the Standard Chlorine Chemical
Site in the Meadowlands on the Hackensack River
Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212-637-3664), rodriguez.elias@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – Oct. 4, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a plan to clean up contamination at the Standard Chlorine Chemical Company, Inc. Superfund site in Kearny, N.J. The site is part of the N.J. Meadowlands and located on the banks of the Hackensack River. Past manufacturing operations by various companies led to extensive contamination of the site with a number of hazardous chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin. PCBs and dioxin can cause cancer, neurological damage, and other health impacts.
The 42-acre site was used for chemical manufacturing by various companies from the early 1900s to the 1990s. Operations at the site included the refinement of naphthalene for use in the production of certain industrial products, the processing of liquid petroleum naphthalene, the manufacturing of lead-acid batteries and drain-cleaner products and the packing of dichlorobenzene products. The soil, groundwater and two lagoons were contaminated with dioxin, benzene, naphthalene, PCBs and volatile organic compounds. The site was littered with tanks and drums containing hazardous substances including dioxin and asbestos. After sampling the site and requiring short-term pollution control measures, NJDEP requested that the EPA add the site to the federal Superfund list. The site was added to the federal Superfund list in September 2007.

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