Source: http://auburnpub.com, October 29, 2015
By: Gwendolyn Craig
Soil vapor pollution in the Cayuga County groundwater contamination site is not expected to harm people’s health, according to a new report released by the New York State Department of Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Soil vapor pollution can occur when the air and any present vaporizing contaminants between soil particles enters the home. The area the Environmental Protection Agency collected samples included parts of Aurelius, Fleming and Springport. Of the 53 homes that were tested, six had traces of the volatile organic compounds, but the amounts were so low, the EPA said they pose an insignificant increase in cancer risk and a minimal increased risk for non-cancer health effects.
The contaminants originally came from the Powerex facility where General Electric used to build electrical components in Auburn. Those compounds polluted the groundwater, causing the EPA to investigate whether they were vaporizing into people’s homes.
“An exposure to these chemicals via soil vapor intrusion is not of concern, which is good news,” said Eileen O’Connor, Director of Cayuga County Environmental Health. “It’s not expected to harm people’s health, so this is a good news report.”

The report and conclusions stem from a larger $20 million plan released in 2013 by the EPA to clean up the pollution left over from the Powerex facility. The plan came after a 12-year-long lawsuit between 88 Cayuga County residents and GE for the groundwater contamination. The EPA has worked to naturally decontaminate the area, a clean-up process GE agreed to pay for.