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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > July > 20 > Entry
Editorial: EPA owes more to residents of McCook Field
(McCook Field neighbors produced this video about the TCE spill)
Dayton has a nasty environmental mess on its hands. The problem deserves faster action and more responsiveness from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA should do what Dayton’s well-regarded Environmental Advisory Board has asked: provide extra protection to more than 400 homeowners.
In the ground beneath the McCook Field neighborhood is a huge plume of contamination that includes trichloroethylene, or TCE, a solvent that apparently leaked from a former Chrysler plant that is now home to Behr Dayton Thermal Products. TCE is a suspected carcinogen. Its effects on human health are not well understood.
More than 200 homes already have had special vacuum systems installed to suck out potentially dangerous vapors. With the systems, the EPA believes the homeowners are safe. They are designed to keep indoor air safe by redirecting TCE fumes to the outdoors.
But neighbors want — and deserve — better assurance than that. In a YouTube video, activists make the case for the EPA to conduct regular testing of the air inside affected homes that have the vacuum systems. (Keep in mind that some houses needed a second vacuum system to bring the vapor levels down far enough, and, as the plume migrates, concentrations can change.)
The city’s Environmental Advisory Board has been asking for nearly a year for testing to be extended beyond the usual one-year period. It cites federal law that it says makes residents eligible for an extension.
EPA officials say they are still considering the idea, and they don’t believe anyone’s health is currently at risk. Repeated air testing is costly.
The agency’s work on this situation has been admirable. It has taken steps to try to speed up addressing the spill. It has named the plume a federal Superfund site and placed it on the National Priorities List, which, in theory, should expedite a cleanup. Even so, fixing the problem is a complicated process and likely will take years to resolve. The EPA must evaluate a host of cleanup options. The contaminated area is large and awkwardly placed. Cleaning groundwater is expensive and can be tricky.
There also is the matter of who is at fault, and who will pay what will be a stiff tab for the cleanup. Chrysler admits some responsibility but is arguing that Behr and other businesses may also be at fault (and, therefore, liable for some of the costs). A big battle is likely.
It’s already been 2 1/2 years since the plume was first discovered and little progress toward cleanup has been made.
In the meantime, residents rightfully worry about their health and their homes (which have plummeted in value). If the neighborhood were made up of million-dollar homes rather than modest, working-class ones, what do you bet that progress would be happening faster?
More testing makes sense if protecting residents is a priority. The EPA should make that happen, and all parties dealing with the spill — federal and local governments and the related companies — need to accept, not avoid, responsibility for ending a nightmare.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: City of Dayton, Energy, Scott Elliott
Comments
By Linda
July 20, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this
As a resident of Daniel Street for 54 years and watch my father die of kidney cancer this really gives pause for thought.By Linda
July 20, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this
As a resident of Daniel Street for 54 years and watch my father die of kidney cancer this really gives pause for thought.By charles rasmussen
July 20, 2009 3:43 PM | Link to this
I am part of this video and fell that as a neighbor that we all stay strong and united , we will get things done . Anyone that wants to share any information about your story or feelings please feel free to .By Jerry Bowling III
July 21, 2009 7:37 AM | Link to this
Over the last 3 years, I have listened to the concerns of my neighbors about the TCE vapor intrusion issue in our neighborhood. The emotions and the stories vary, but the most common thread is that we need help. The McCook Field Neighborhood Association and BVOCAL (Behr VOC Area Leaders) are thankful for the help that we have received to date. However, as the contaminated groundwater continues to flow beneath our homes and businesses, allowing TCE vapors to intrude into our homes (that need retested, and some which were never tested), we need more help. We need more help (of various levels) from Chrysler, the USEPA, the Ohio Dept. of Health, Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County, the ATSDR, the City of Dayton, our elected officials, and others. Mostly, we need to help ourselves as much as possible. The video that BVOCAL posted on YouTube is one way to do that. The most important thing is for the current and former residents of the McCook Field neighborhood to share their concerns/stories and emotions about this terrible situation that has impacted our lives. It will take a long time until the cleanup of the groundwater is complete. Until then, we have to be vocal and ask for the help that we need and deserve. Jerry Bowling III President, McCook Field Neighborhood Association Member/Spokesperson, BVOCAL (Behr VOC Area Leaders)By G Handlin
July 21, 2009 7:33 PM | Link to this
Where are the lawyers? This sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. The legal cockroachs should be all over this. Yeah, they walk away with everything leaving peanuts to the sufferers but it might teach Chrysler a lesson…. after the appeals are over. Anybody see A Civil Action with John Travolta? Good flick about a toxic spill (but John ends up broke which is weird for a lawyer). This is a no win for McCook Field.By Ann E. Siefker
July 21, 2009 9:30 PM | Link to this
I’m blessed to live just a few blocks Northeast of the effected Behr area. Even on our side of the area, though, we’re still battling for the cleanup of the Valley Crest Landfill. Areas such as Behr and Valley Crest deserve the immediate attention of the State and the Fed. Their actions have been token at best, and almost adversarial. Legislators at both levels are so busy taking on wasteful issues, they’re not taking care of the essential services for which they were designed. People who live, work and pay taxes in these areas deserve better.By Ann E. Siefker
July 21, 2009 9:30 PM | Link to this
I’m blessed to live just a few blocks Northeast of the effected Behr area. Even on our side of the area, though, we’re still battling for the cleanup of the Valley Crest Landfill. Areas such as Behr and Valley Crest deserve the immediate attention of the State and the Fed. Their actions have been token at best, and almost adversarial. Legislators at both levels are so busy taking on wasteful issues, they’re not taking care of the essential services for which they were designed. People who live, work and pay taxes in these areas deserve better.By Liz
July 22, 2009 12:29 AM | Link to this
On reading this, it would seem that perhaps a lawyer is the answer for citizens, as federal law that makes residents eligible for an extension of testing has obviously been ignored, as well as 3 years having passed with no clean-up plan in site yet. The fact that the EPA has made this a federal Superfund site and placed it on the National Priorities List raises an eyebrow here (to say the least). Admirable that the EPA did this, yes; but is this situation receiving the attention that that nomenclature would indicate?! Time really is of the essence.By Megan
July 24, 2009 11:06 AM | Link to this
Although the EPA does seem to have worked to get this site on the Superfund… I just can’t believe that there hasn’t been more work done. I am surprised to hear that the EPA claims that no one’s health is at risk. Not only has TCE been found to cause cancer in some animals but it is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” In addition there have been many short term and long term side effects reported from TCE exposure: dizziness, nausea, headaches, difficulty concentrating, liver and kidney damage, nerve damage… There is clearly a risk here for the health of the residents of McCook Field and we have a moral obligation to get this mess cleaned up.By Don M
July 27, 2009 10:43 PM | Link to this
While I do not now live in the affected area, I did so for my first 18 years. As I have watched the McCook tragedy unfold I can’t help but wonder what the response might be from the Dayton civic leaders if the area was in Oakwood or Kettering. The EPA should be commended for thier postive actions to date but clearly more needs to be done. Simply put, in my opinion, someone in a responsible civic position needs to stand up for a neighborhood of hard working people. Since the local and state governments are either afraid of Behr or not interested in 400 families, maybe a national expose on 60 Minutes might put enough pressure on the Ohio EPA to persuade them to do more. EPA-it’s the right thing to do.