DEC calls NHP site a health hazard

Richard Tedesco

The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced the discovery of  toxic chemicals last Thursday on a former Falmouth Avenue industrial site near New Hyde Park Memorial High School.

In a public notice issued on June 26, the state DEC said previous operations on the site formerly occupied by Zoe Chemical Co. at 1801 Falmouth Ave. “have resulted in contamination of soil, groundwater and soil vapor at levels exceeding applicable standards.” 

A description of the property on the DEC website states that the site contained “significant contamination” including chlorinated volatiles, petroleum volatiles, semi-volatiles, pesticides and metals. 

But based on its examination of the site last year, the DEC said, the chemicals do not appear to be “migrating from the site in the groundwater.” 

The DEC said the site would be cleaned under the state’s Superfund program, but did not indicate when the clean up would take place.

“Since this site was just recently listed, we have not established a timetable yet for clean up,” DEC spokeswoman Lisa King said on Tuesday.

The DEC said the site borders a Water Authority of Western Nassau County well field to the north and athletic fields at New Hyde Park Memorial High School 500 feet to the west. 

The site, which is zoned commercial, contains a one-story masonry structure built in 1962 that covers 44,800 square feet of the western portion of the site. The southern part of the site is being used as a lumber yard by Pro Build.

The DEC said the property’s owner, Seaboard Estates, initiated the investigations in 2013.

A representative of Seaboard Estates who would not identify himself declined to comment.

Zoe Chemical Co. and CDC Products Corp. handled assorted chemicals, including 1.1.1-trichloroethane, ammonia, tetrachloroethene, cleaners, and pesticides as part of processes on-site, according to the DEC. Chemicals were stored inside and outside the building.

The DEC said it removed contaminated material from a storm drain on the site, which contained “significantly elevated concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane.” 

People who drink water containing 1,1,1-trichloroethane for many years could experience problems with their liver, nervous system, or circulatory system, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The effects of airborne exposure to tetrachloroethene include irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes, kidney dysfunction, and neurological effects such as reversible mood and behavioral changes, impairment of coordination, dizziness, headache, sleepiness, and unconsciousness, according to the EPA. 

The DEC also said that water collected from beneath a cesspool contained “multiple contaminants above groundwater standards.”

The DEC said the chemicals do not pose a threat to the drinking water since the water supply that serves the area is treated to remove contaminants. The DEC also said the contaminated soil is found underground, but not at ground level. Further evaluation is needed, the DEC said,  to determine whether soil vapor intrusion is a concern for off-site buildings.

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