Source: http://www.democratandchronicle.com, August 14, 2015
By: Steve Orr
Another former dry cleaner, this one at the eastern edge of downtown Rochester, has been added to New York’s Superfund registry of hazardous waste sites.

Operators of the former Elite Vogue Dry Cleaners, previously located in the building at 527-533 East Main Street, are believed to have spilled or dumped toxic solvents on the property. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said earlier this week it was adding the location to the registry as a Class 2 site, meaning it poses a threat to human health or the environment and is likely in need of remedial work.

The former Elite Vogue operation is the second local dry cleaner in two weeks to be given Class 2 status on the registry, following the now-closed Perfecto cleaners on Dewey Avenue in Greece.

Dry cleaners, which historically used toxic solvents such as perchloroethylene to launder clothes, have been a ubiquitous modern convenience for decades. But as the Democrat and Chronicle reported several years ago, the industry also proved to be something of an environmental menace. In days gone by, some operators were careless with solvents, allowing them to leak or dumping them on open ground near their shops.

In Monroe County, there now are at least 15 former dry cleaners or industrial laundries that are enrolled in DEC remedial programs. Officials said several years ago there about 1,000 cleaner sites statewide that needed some degree of cleanup.

In a fact sheet about the former Elite Vogue site released earlier this week, the DEC said contaminants had been found in soil on the property and also in groundwater under that parcel and others nearby. The building at 527-533 East Main, which now houses several other retail businesses, was home to dry cleaning operations from 1936 to 2003, the DEC said in supplemental information on its website.

A number of solvents, including perchloroethylene and a known human carcinogen, vinyl chloride, are present in soil and groundwater in concentrations well above state standards.

The DEC website said testing is needed to determine if vapors from those toxic chemicals are wafting into building basements at the site. Vapor intrusion, as that is known, is the primary potential threat posed by spilled dry-cleaning solvents in urban and suburban areas.

The agency can tap the state Superfund to pay for study and cleanup work at class 2 sites like the former Elite Vogue operation, and then can attempt to recover costs from parties deemed responsible for the contamination.