New York Air Brake Co. - New York State Superfund Site No. 623003 - Watertown, New York                          

NYAB Documents - Watertown vs. Endicott - A Comparison Poll & Discussion - Should TCE In Groundwater Trigger Vapor Intrusion Investigation? There are many reports weekly of TCE and other chemicals found in either private wells and/or groundwater but yet there are no references of a Soil Vapor Intrusion (SVI) Investigation. When TCE or other chemical levels in private wells or in groundwater exceed standards, should vapor intrusion testing then be the next step?  To participate in this poll and join the discussion please go to our Facebook Page. St. Louis County, MO Cancer Cluster Map 62 brain cancer cases 27 leukemia cases 26 lung cancer cases 24 multiple sclerosis cases 15 lymphoma cases 10 pancreatic cancer cases 3 conjoined twins Editor’s note - We do not have such a map specific to the NYAB site but preliminary date from those who were willing to share information.  That information can be found HERE.  In Watertown, we have several cases of brain cancer and 7 or more cases of craniocynostosis within a several block area.  Craniosynostosis is rare, affecting an estimated one in every 1,800 to 3,000 children. Three out of every four cases affect boy.  Each illness as reported to myself and/or our group is listed as it was reported, therefore there are duplications of illnesses which is indicative of how many times that specific illness was reported. June 17, 2013 - Contaminated Wells - Newcastle, DE New Utility Requirements On Drinking Water Proposed Delaware public health officials will propose new utility disclosure requirements for unregulated but potentially toxic drinking water contaminants next month, in a move prompted by the recent discovery an obscure chemical in a new public well near New Castle. Earlier this year, Artesian Water Co. was forced to shut down a newly developed, high-volume public supply well near Llangollen Boulevard south of New Castle after tests found high levels a likely cancer-causing compound, 1,4-dioxane entering the system. Officials quickly linked the substance to the nearby Delaware Sand & Gravel federal Superfund cleanup site. EPA summaries identify 1,4 dioxane as likely carcinogen and an industrial solvent and stabilizer used in a variety of industries, including some cosmetics, as well as a breakdown product of trichloroethylene – one of the most common contaminants at superfund sites.  The complete article can be viewed HERE. June 14, 2013 - Radioactive Contamination - Bridgeton, MO Secrets Buried Beneath Westlake Landfill In the 1970s thousands of tons of radioactive uranium and thorium was dumped in the Westlake landfill. "I seen a large ditch being dug on the construction field. And then later that evening, right before dark, those two tractor trailers pulled in," he said. It took all day he says for workers to dig a ditch about 50 feet deep complete with a dirt ramp. "Right before dark, they drove two tractor trailers down in the trench," said Bob. "They pulled in the ground. The drivers got out. They closed the doors and walked out." The tractors had no markings. By 11 p.m. the trucks and ditch were covered as if nothing ever happened. The complete article can be viewed HERE. EPA page on the Westlake Landfill Summary of private lawsuit HERE. MO State lawsuit information reported HERE. Facebook Group - Coldwater Creek - Just The Facts Please June 17, 2013 - Benzene Update - Parachute Creek, CO Benzene Shows Up Again In New Creek Testing Benzene has again been detected, but at barely detectable levels, in Parachute Creek at the site of a natural gas liquids leak. The carcinogen was measured at 1.4 to 1.5 parts per billion at a single location in the creek in daily samples between Saturday and Tuesday, according to updates from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Williams, the company responsible for the leak.  Complete article can be viewed HERE. June 15, 2013 - TCE Contamination - Marengo, IL TCE Tainted Well Water Found In Six Homes Six property owners with private wells are slated to receive bottled water after cancer-causing chemicals were found in the groundwater near a manufacturer, according to a news release from the state attorney general’s office. Water samples collected in mid-May showed elevated levels of hazardous chemicals, including trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride, in six private wells. At least two of the wells had levels that exceeded groundwater quality regulations, the news release said.  The complete article can be viewed HERE. Editor’s note - There is no mention of vapor intrusion testing in the article which leads to this question: When TCE levels in private wells or in groundwater exceed standards, should vapor intrusion testing then be the next step?  To answer this question and start a discussion please go to our Facebook Page. June 14, 2013 - Lead & TCE - Ithaca, NY Groundwater Test Complicates Ithaca Gun Cleanup The immediate objective is remediation in a portion of the L-shaped strip that abuts Lake Street known as the western accessway. It’s known to be contaminated at levels exceeding safety standards and is in a form and location that could expose people to hazards, mostly lead from the gun factory days. But lead is not the only known contaminant. A May report from consultant Barton & Logudice of Syracuse said that one of several test wells into the groundwater level detected trichloroethylene, known as TCE, downhill from the immediate cleanup area. Further testing is needed, but a monitor is expected to be installed later this summer.  Complete article can be viewed HERE. June 14, 2013 - TCE Update, Ozone Park, Queens, NY Works Begins At End Zone Industrial Site Work started this week on the controversial project to remove toxic chemicals from a former industrial site in Ozone Park. Ozone Industries placed drums in the ground below the bays that contained a chemical called trichloroethylene, or TCE, a substance linked to some forms of cancer and problems of the central nervous system. The chemical is used in aircraft manufacturing.  Complete article can be viewed HERE. June 14, 2013 - TCE Vapor Intrusion Alert - Algona, WA Boeing And State To Test For Vapor Intrusion The chemical Drayton and other homeowners are worried about is TCE, or Tri-Chloro-Ethylene. It's a powerful solvent Boeing used as a de-greasing agent in its former Auburn plant from 1966 until the early 80s.  Complete article can be viewed HERE. June 11, 2013 - TCE Contamination Update - Hopewell Junction, NY No Funding For Municipal Water, EPA Says Deep Wells May Be A Solution The Environmental Protection Agency is reaching out to homeowners with deep wells in the Hopewell Precision Superfund site in the hopes of curing a problem that has existed for more than a decade. The agency wants to test the drinking water of any homeowners who may have dug wells at least 200 feet deep in recent years. Some homeowners have done so to access uncontaminated water that would pass the town- mandated well tests whenever a home is sold. Complete article can be viewed HERE. June 7, 2013 - Federal Register - EPA Peer Review And Public Comment Trichloroethylene TSCA Chemical Risk Assessment EPA's contractor, The Scientific Consulting Group (SCG), Inc., has identified a panel of scientific experts to conduct peer review of EPA's draft Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical risk assessment, “TSCA Workplan Chemical Risk Assessment for Trichloroethylene: Degreaser and Arts/Crafts Uses.” EPA will hold three peer review meetings by web connect and teleconference. EPA invites the public to register to attend the meetings as observers and/or speakers providing oral comments during any or all of the peer review meetings as discussed in this notice. The public may also provide comment on whether they believe the appearance of conflict of interest exists for any proposed peer review panel expert. The complete article from the Federal Register can be viewed HERE. 2010 - World Health Organization WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality WHO indoor air quality guidelines for the following chemicals (highlighted are associated with the NYAB site): Benzene, Carbon Monoxide, Formaldehyde, Napthalene, Nitrogen Dioxide, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Radon, Trichloreoethylene, Tetrachloroethylene. Complete WHO paper can be viewed HERE. June 6, 2013 - Toxin Cleanup News - Bluefield, WV Cooper Industries To Pay EPA $340,000 For Cleanup Cooper Industries, a manufacturer of electrical products, will pay $340,000 to the federal Environmental Protection Agency under a consent decree filed May 23. The amount will reimburse the EPA for the costs it incurred cleaning up hazardous substances at the Lin-Electric Superfund site in Bluefield. Cooper’s corporate predecessors used the facility from 1924 to 1988 to rebuild electric motors and transformers used in coal mining. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, the chemicals that were released or threatened to be released were Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Trichloroethylene (TCE). “PCBs and TCE were disposed of in the soils, drains, sludges, sumps and other features of the site,” the complaint says.  Complete article can be viewed HERE. Editor’s note - How does this compare to Watertown? Pre-1970 disposal records are incomplete to non-existent.  Prior to 1970 all liquid wastes were poured into drains at the NYAB site which were then connected to the storm sewers which emptied directly into Kelsey Creek. From 1970 - 1977 wastes were disposed of by “pouring onto the ground” in the Industrial Landfill.  These include volatile organic chemicals such as TCE, Benzene, Toluene, Carbon Tetrachloride as well as PCBs, Lead, Chromium & Cadmium.  See the 1988 EPA Preliminary Assessment. There are many contaminated areas within the NYAB site which is why the documented disposal records are labeled incomplete or non-existent by this web site.

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