Wednesday, September 28, 2005
By BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
RINGWOOD - The cleanup of Ford's industrial dump has been halted for several weeks because some newly discovered waste is so poisonous that a Michigan toxic-waste dump cannot accept it.
That announcement by federal cleanup overseers on Tuesday left residents and borough officials angry that they were just hearing about highly noxious paint sludge uncovered in July. They said the lack of earlier notification may have resulted in unnecessary exposure to evaporating solvents contained in the sludge.
"The odor was so bad it alerted the workers, but the residents who live right there weren't told about it for two months," said Wayne Mann, head of the neighborhood association. "What else aren't we being told about?"
The sludge was found at the end of Peters Mine Road during ongoing excavation work. It is softer and more spongy than the 3,500 tons that Ford has already removed from Ringwood State Park. The waste represents only a fraction of what Ford dumped in the late 1960s and early 1970s over the 500-acre site in the mountainous former mining area.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency declared the site, high above the Wanaque Reservoir, clean in 1994. But Ford has renewed extensive excavations under EPA direction after resident complaints, subsequent pressure from members of Congress and an ongoing investigation by The Record that has found widespread leftover waste.
The spongy sludge, containing arsenic, lead, PCBs, and solvents, was discovered in a seep - water emanating from the ground - that feeds a stream flowing into the reservoir. Also nearby is a 500-resident community, most of them Ramapough Mountain Indians.
Officials say the reservoir water is uncontaminated. But they have ordered Ford to conduct more water testing.
Containing high levels of industrial solvents, which evaporate, the sludge is now covered and will not be removed until a cleanup plan has been approved by the EPA. Joe Gowers, EPA project manager for the site, said the sludge needs to be treated before it can be disposed of permanently. It may end up in Canada, he said, but no option has been finalized.
He said it had initially been destined for a hazardous-waste landfill in Michigan, but chemicals in the sludge exceeded the maximum levels set in the permit to dump at that site.
"We don't think this sludge ever really dried out, which is why the volatile compounds are still so high," Gowers said during Tuesday's public information meeting at Ringwood Borough Hall. |"At this point we don't know |how much is there - it's a significant amount."
Gowers promised once work resumes, steps will be taken to lessen the exposure levels. A suppressant foam to reduce volatile chemical fumes may be used, and a water mist will keep down dust levels.
Volatile compounds dissipate into the air when exposed, sending out potent chemical molecules that can cause illnesses and in extreme cases, death. Ethylbenzene was found at 5,270 parts per million and toluene was at 5,690. The safety cleanup level for both is 1,000. Xylene had levels that hit 22,700 when the safety level is 400.
All three can cause headaches and dizziness. Toluene may cause nausea, memory loss and affect the nervous system. Ethylbenzene can irritate the eyes and chest. Xylene may do serious damage to the liver and kidneys.
"We don't want the workers making the decision on what to tell us," said Mayor Wenke Taule. "We want the information from you and we want it quick."
Federal officials said they wanted to verify the information before alarming the residents unnecessarily. But residents snapped back that they would prefer error on the side of caution, and want to be notified whenever something unusual is found.
Residents have long complained of serious illnesses such as asthma and leukemia as well as early deaths, which they blame on the sludge. No link has yet been made by government investigators between the pollution and the illnesses.
State health officials announced this summer the area has a higher incidence of lung cancer than would be expected, and that bladder cancer in men and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in both sexes were elevated. The residents have been seeking health monitoring, but to date, no agency has gone door to door investigating health problems.
Members of Congress and the state Department of Environmental Protection have demanded a complete cleanup and DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell has called for a criminal investigation into prior cleanups.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-Long Branch, toured the area and said he would push for the assistance the residents have been requesting. Pallone said he also is asking EPA to put the site back on the Superfund list, and that a criminal investigation should be launched into the previous cleanups.
After viewing some residential properties and walking through the woods, Pallone said he thought it was obvious that "Ford isn't finished cleaning this up, and they are trying to hide the fact that they did such a poor job in the past.
"Until I saw it, I didn't realize the contamination covered such a wide area - it's all over."
E-mail: williamsb@northjersey.com
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Fast facts
1967-71: Paint sludge from Ford's Mahwah assembly plant was dumped in Ringwood mines area.
1987-88: Initial cleanup by Ford removed tons of sludge from four sites.
Ford is back for a fifth time to remove sludge throughout area that includes a residential neighborhood and a section of Ringwood State Park
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