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POMPTON LAKES - Vapor tests marching on
(by Leslie Scott - Staff Writer - August 13, 2008)
POMPTON LAKES - It has been several weeks since DuPont first announced that the contaminated groundwater is also releasing chemical vapors into homes of borough residents.
Since this time, the company has also been busy making arraignments with every homeowner in the affected area to test the air and design a system that would remove these vapors.
DuPont Public Affairs Manager Bob Nelson said, “As of the end of last week, we had 243 homes that were scheduled for indoor air sampling and/or the design of the mitigation system. We are waiting to hear back from 93 and we haven’t heard from 95 individuals. Some people just didn’t get back to us.”
More than 20 years ago it was discovered that DuPont, which operated an explosives plant in the borough beginning in the early 1900s, contaminated the ground water.
Tests recently revealed that this contaminated groundwater might also be emitting toxic vapors into the homes.
DuPont is testing homes to find out if the chemicals, Tetrachloroethene (PCE), commonly found in dry cleaning solutions and Tricholorethene (TCE), which is commonly found in scented candles, are circulating through the air in large quantities.
Borough resident Ken Doka was among the first few homes DuPont used to test for vapors. Several substances were tested underneath Doka’s basement floor. PCE came in at a high 1600 microgram/cubic meter (ug/m3), where 16 ug/m3 is normal and TCE came in at 320 ug/m3, 11 ug/m3 is a normal reading for TCE.
DuPont Project Manager Dave Epps explained that one microgram/cubic meter is equal to about one drop of water in an average size pool.
Doka said he would determine if the mitigation system would be installed once an air sample is taken.
“I don’t want a system put in this house until I know that the air sample amount is the same as what the sub-slab sample was,” said Doka.
The indoor air and the air below the basement floor are tested separately. Epps explained that test results have varied.
“In some houses that had the sub-slab and there were vapors present the indoor air was not detected and in some houses that had the sub-slab the indoor air was in the single digits,” said Epps.
DuPont is also offering a mitigation system that would remove the vapors from the below the floor.
DuPont has not released results for homes that have been tested so far.
“We have started, we are working with homes and those results are coming back to us,” said Nelson.
Nelson explained the test results are first certified by the lab and through the state.
“The State of New Jersey will do a full certification and be back in touch with those homeowners explaining to them the numbers that were detected in their home,” said Nelson.
Nelson said the system being used is the best method for testing volatile organic compounds.
“There is one lab certified to do that in the State of New Jersey. So we are having to work with them to make sure we have the proper canisters and that they are going back to the lab and that they are being certified.”
Epps said they are testing for 62 different types of volatile organic compounds and 10 of those are related to the ground water.
DuPont contracted with O’Brien & Gere, of Syracuse, N.Y., to perform all of the mitigation services.
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