Source: http://longisland.news12.com, March 1, 2016
An old toxic dumping site in West Islip has been deemed a health hazard, according to a new finding by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The state says high levels of cancer-causing cadmium have been found in soil in the wetlands at the site of the former Dzus Fastener Co., which shut down last February. The state says the company began manufacturing cadmium-plated fasteners back in the 1930s, and the process created hazardous waste.
Records show it has been remediated several times over the years, but the state says that there is newly discovered contamination that poses a “significant threat to human health and the environment.”
Officials say the risk is the high levels of cadmium found in sediment at nearby Willets Creek.
Willets Creek flows past West Islip High School, Beach Street Middle School and Paul J. Bellew Elementary School.
The state says it will conduct public meetings and hearings as the cleanup plan is developed.
In a statement it said, “Throughout the remediation process, DEC will take appropriate steps to protect the public from potential exposure to the contaminated sediment.”