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.
No comments:
Post a Comment