DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — No unusual numbers of cancers have been detected in a study of residents near the Delphi Home Avenue plant, the site of contamination by hazardous chemicals that seeped off site and entered area homes, the Ohio Department of Health said Wednesday, Aug. 20.

About 50 citizens attended a meeting at Ellison Senior Citizen Center to hear that conclusion from an official study that examined cancer diagnosed from 1996 to 2005.

Holly Engelhardt, of the department's Chronic Disease and Behavioral Epidemiology Section, said 49 cancer cases were diagnosed in that period in the census tract where the plant is located — not significantly higher statistically than would be expected.

In all, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested 32 of 45 homes near the plant and found seven with indoor air contamination severe enough to require mitigation work — equipment that sucks hazardous vapor from beneath homes. Delphi paid for the equipment, which rendered the homes safe, said Steve Renninger, on-site coordinator for the U.S. EPA. Chemicals from two leaking underground tanks removed in the 1980s are believed responsible.

Delphi has operated a soil vapor extraction device at the plant constantly since July 2007 to remove any remaining trichloroethylene or TCE, tetrachloroethylene or PERC, and trichloroethane from the soil.

Delphi, which is attempting to emerge from bankruptcy, plans to close the plant in early 2009 and is working with the Ohio EPA to handle remaining environmental problems, said Tom Woods of Delphi.

The health assurances weren't enough for some in attendance, including Marcus Carr and his sister, Yvonne.

Marcus said Delphi should buy contaminated homes and that homeowners who bought in recent years had been deceived about the problems.

"Delphi should be required ... to get people out of the area," Yvonne Carr said.