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POMPTON LAKES - State approves toxin release
(by Leslie Scott - Staff Writer - November 03, 2008)
POMPTON LAKES - The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is comfortable with DuPont’s plan to release toxins in the outdoor air.
In the 1980s, it was discovered that the DuPont explosives factory left toxins in the groundwater below more than 300 homes, which the company was ordered to clean. The cleanup still goes on today.
Most recently, test results showed that this water is also emitting toxic vapors into the air in some borough homes. These vapors include tetrachloroethene (PCE), a standard in dry-cleaning solutions, and tricholorethene (TCE), which is commonly found in scented candles.
Since this time, the company has been arranging with every homeowner in the affected area to test the air and install a vapor mitigation system that would remove these vapors from the home.
During the Oct. 22 meeting, Mayor Katie Cole said some residents were concerned about the quality of the outdoor air if the systems will be releasing all the vapors into the air.
In responding to this question, the Department of Health referred to a report filed by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation about an area in Endicott, N.Y., where 450 vapor mitigation systems were installed without affecting the air quality, Cole said.
“Right now our state Department of Health feels confident with that,” said the mayor.
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