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Nearly 400 homes have been tested or will be tested to help determine how serious vapor intrusion is in the Valley Pike neighborhood in the city of Riverside.
The deadline for residents to turn in a signed access agreement to have the Environmental Protection Agency collect air samples from their home was March 30, but officials said they will still take samples if people are interested.
The total number of homes impacted by the investigation is approximately 520, after the EPA expanded the testing area to the Pompano Circle area. Between 80 and 90 mitigation systems have been installed, according to Steve Renninger, on-scene coordinator for the EPA’s Region 5 in Cincinnati.
The EPA received 40 more access agreements in March, and those homes will be scheduled to be tested in April.
An investigation started the summer of 2013 after the EPA conducted groundwater sampling in the area and discovered an above screening level presence of TCE (Trichloroethylene) and PCE (Tetrachloroethylene).
Symptoms of breathing high levels of TCE and PCE include headaches; dizziness; liver, kidney and immune system issues; effects to reproductive and respiratory systems; nausea; cancer in animals and possibly humans; and, in some cases, death.
Vapor intrusion occurs when underground pollutants give off dangerous gases that can rise up through the soil and seep into buildings through foundation cracks and holes, causing unsafe indoor air pollution, according to the EPA.
The EPA hosted two sessions for the public in early March. Those sessions — in addition to EPA and local health officials knocking on doors in the Valley Pike neighborhood — contributed to the increase in signed access agreements, Renninger said.
He said there may be another public meeting in the future.
“We’re very happy that this last effort to get the in-home air quality samples yielded such great results,” Riverside City Manager Bryan Chodkowski said. “It’s a very positive sign that the neighborhood is trying to make the best of this situation to protect themselves and look out for their neighbors.”
Tom Hut, supervisor of the bureau of special services for Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County, said he’s encouraged that about 75 percent of the residents will have their homes tested.
“No one is at levels where immediate health concerns exist,” Hut said. “The long-term, chronic exposure is what we’re attempting to mitigate through installation. The homes that aren’t tested, the risk is unknown and the people are maybe exposed to chemicals that you cannot smell nor detect without these tests the EPA is offering.”
The area of concern was initially bordered by Guernsey Dell Avenue, Minnesota Drive, Hypathia Avenue, Rohrer Boulevard and Valley Pike.
Last July, the sampling expanded to the Forest Home Avenue, Prince Albert Boulevard, Broadmead Boulevard and Warrendale Avenue areas. In November, the EPA expanded the area of concern farther west to Sagamore Avenue.
The contamination is moving southwest, parallel to Valley Pike, Renninger has said.
Riverside resident Bill Bilbrey, who lives on Guernsey Dell Avenue, had a mitigation system installed in his home. He encourages residents who have not had their home tested to do so while they still have the chance.
“If you got kids, you want to be safe,” Bilbrey said. “I got this house really cheap and paid cash for it and I was real happy about it. But now, I don’t know if I can ever sell it.”
Renninger said the EPA continues to investigate the source of contamination. He previously said the source likely is located about 800 to 1,000 feet east of Hypathia Avenue.
Sampling takes 24 hours, and it takes three weeks to get the results back, Renninger has said.
The sampling and mitigation installation are at no cost to the homeowner. It costs the EPA $1,000 for the sampling and $5,000 to install the mitigation system. A mitigation system costs a homeowner about $75 a year in electric expenses, Renninger has said.
The fan in the mitigation system comes with a five-year warranty, and the homeowner is responsible for any repairs once the warranty expires.
The drinking water is not affected by the site conditions, according to the EPA. The drinking water comes from the city of Dayton’s public water supply.
Health officials previously advised residents who have a private water well to no longer consume the water because there could be the potential of cross-contamination with home plumbing.
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