On Thursday night, the Claymont Public Library hosted a meeting for the community with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and DNREC (Delaware Department of Natural and Recreational Environmental Control).
The meeting discussed Claymont’s Honeywell Delaware Valley Works Facility property which has been found to have various dangerous chemicals, such as arsenic and pesticides.
The actual case and information can get a bit confusing, so what are the things you should know?
In the EPA’s presentation, it was explained that the history of the building does impact what remains there today.
The facility itself began operations in 1913, producing pesticides, organic and inorganic acids, and “specialty” chemicals, such as boron trifluoride and fluorosulfonic acid.
What happens if you’re exposed to these chemicals?
Arsenic exposure can be toxic if it is swallowed or inhaled, can cause skin irritation, eye damage, and may cause cancer. In aquatic life, arsenic is highly toxic.
Boron trifluoride exposure can create symptoms in people like irritating the eyes, skin, nose, and respiratory system, nosebleeds, and burning of the skin or eyes. In animals, kidney damage can be found.
Fluorosulfonic acid has been known to cause severe skin burns and eye damage and is harmful when inhaled.
Pesticides, organic and inorganic acids are more general terms and have changing makeups depending on their purposes, which also alters how they affect humans and wildlife.
Why and how is this site being investigated and cleaned up?
In 2004, the South Plant stopped operations, followed by the North Plant 15 years later in 2019.
Currently, the North Plant is not being used, but the South Plant is being occupied by a trucking operation in the North Parcel. The northern part of the South Plant South Parcel is currently a railcar storage yard.
The way that the EPA is proposing to fix the issue it to control exposures and further contamination, specifically through pore water and sediment, which is the soil beneath and around the plant.
Somewhat how water seeps through a colander when cooking spaghetti, the goal is to keep that “water and spaghetti” in their place while the cleanup occurs.
Pollution in soil in a certain area can act like the water in the colander, potentially spreading further if they aren’t contained.
For the issue of arsenic being present, a sediment cap is being proposed, which could be cement, asphalt, or other similar avenues.
There will also be long term groundwater and sediment cap monitoring to ensure that the contamination is actually kept in its contained area and isn’t spreading into the Delaware River or anywhere else.
More specific details are in the image below:
The EPA’s goals for the project in its simplest form is to protect human health and the environment.
In the meeting, it was said by the EPA that the remedy will protect both by “reducing overall risk by capping the sediment and preventing contaminated sediment from getting into water bodies and mixing with other non-contaminated sediments.”
The caps are meant to be permanent and possibly have new usage in the future.
What does this mean for a nearby resident?
The plans are still being developed, with both agencies having open conversations with the public about the cleanup.
While the agencies are looking into the issues, outreach from the public can shift their attentions to additional issues that they may not know, so you can inform them about concerns that you may have here.
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