The cleanup process could take years, she said, noting that the project will cost about $40 million.
Health risks
Dan Suffoletto, a spokesman for Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County, said the health risks from VOCs include headaches, eye and respiratory infections and difficulty breathing. Exposure to these chemicals for longer periods of time can result in cancer, damage to the liver, nervous system and kidneys.
Anyone who thinks they’ve been exposed to VOCs and are experiencing health problems should speak to their doctor, Suffoletto said. Physicians can test for the contaminants via urine and blood samples, he said. Public Health is not treating patients for VOCs.
The health risks vary, depending on how long and how much of the VOCs a person has been exposed to, he said.
“There’s no hard and fast, if you’re exposed for five minutes, this happens or that happens,” Suffoletto said. “It’s variable. You could see variable effects depending on the conditions in which you’re exposed to those chemicals.”
Anyone wondering if they’ve been exposed to VOCs can have their blood and urine tested at their doctor’s office, he said.
Clean-up is ongoing
At the Valley Pike VOCs site in Riverside, some parts of clean-up are already underway. The EPA said it is actively working with the responsible party, Mullins Rubber, to sample indoor air in homes, churches and businesses and install vapor abatement systems in homes.
The vapor abatement system captures vapors below the foundation and safely vents it outdoors and above the home before it can enter the home, Bassler said. Additional investigation into the contaminated groundwater plume is in the planning stages and is expected to be completed in the next five years.
At the Behr Dayton Thermal VOC Plume site in Dayton, some parts of the clean-up are already underway. The EPA is actively working to begin additional clean-up activities within the next few years, Bassler said.
The engineering design for the Valleycrest site in Dayton will be completed by the end of this year. Remedy construction, including clearing the site, the installation of a landfill cap/cover, and the installation of systems to control groundwater and landfill gas, is anticipated to begin in spring/summer 2022 and will most likely be completed in 2023.
At the Valley Pike VOCs and Behr Dayton sites, it will likely be decades before all the groundwater contamination reaches clean-up levels, which are based on safe drinking standards, the EPA said.
Who to contact
If you live inside the Valley Pike VOC site work area, the EPA encourages residents to have their home tested for vapor intrusion (see the map on the EPA’s website), please contact: Kevin Kallini at 513-716-0873 or cicvalleypike@trcsolutions.com
At the Behr Dayton site, if you own a property and/or live above the groundwater contamination, provide access to the parties sampling for vapor intrusion or inspecting your VIMS if your home or business is equipped with one. Also, leave the fans running on the VIMS units. To inquire about having your home tested, contact Erik Hardin, EPA’s project manager for the Behr Dayton Site, at hardin.erik@epa.gov or (312) 886-2402.
At the Valleycrest site, the main difference people will see during and after the cleanup is that the trees that have grown onsite over the years will have to be removed to install the landfill cap. EPA has asked to keep as many trees along the fence line as possible for privacy. Residents will also see the reopening of Valley Drive through the middle of the site as part of the site construction. The site will be fenced on either side of the road.
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