Source: http://news10.com. January 23, 2017
By: Carmen Chau
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was at a meeting in Ballston Spa Monday after chemicals were found leaking at a local dry cleaner.
Rickett’s Dry Cleaning has been closed for three years. In summer 2016, the Department of Environmental Conservation told the EPA to test for chemicals, which EPA officials said may be in the groundwater.
Mayor John Romano said he wasn’t made aware of the testing until December 20.
“They absolutely should be concerned; I would be concerned,” he said. “I actually grew up on Saratoga Avenue, but yeah, that’s a concern. I’m glad a lot of people came.”
The EPA’s next step is to test for vapor intrusion, a process where chemicals give off gases that can get inside buildings. The effects of vapor intrusion can potentially cause cancer or deficiencies.
“It’s hard to draw a cause and effect if somebody suffering any kind of ill effects whether or not this was the problem,” Don Graham with the EPA said. “And like I mentioned earlier, a lot of these compounds are typically in people’s homes anyway based on what they may be bringing into people’s homes.”
People at Monday night’s meeting wanted to know what the testing and results could mean for them. Diane Rademacher is a dentist in the village. Since she’s heard of the contamination, she’s given her patients bottled water to rinse their mouths.
“I feel bad for the residents,” she said “Their homes and they’re sleeping there day in and day out, so there is a concern.”
The EPA is expected to sample 60 homes on February 13 and February 20. The results will not be available until about a month later.