Source: http://newton.wickedlocal.com, August 5, 2016
By: Jonathan Dame
State environmental investigators are still trying to figure out exactly how much of Nonantum’s groundwater is contaminated with a liquid that has been linked to cancer and other serious health problems.
The state has found evidence of vapor intrusion related to the contamination in around two dozen Nonantum homes in an area bounded roughly by Jackson Road, Watertown Street, and Pellegrini Park.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) began probing the contamination after a report from the developer of a former auto salvage yard on West Street showed elevated levels of trichloroethylene, or TCE, in the area.
The liquid – historically used for dry cleaning and degreasing metal parts, and as an ingredient in glues and paint removers – can produce vapors that contaminate the air.
In 2015, the air inside six Nonantum addresses tested above the level at which action must be taken under state guidelines for TCE. Meanwhile, another 15 homes showed evidence of less serious vapor intrusion, according to a DEP PowerPoint presentation from a community meeting in May. Testing this year has found two additional homes with low-level TCE vapor intrusion, and one duplex with levels considered unsafe for pregnant women.
In homes where the air has tested higher than the action level, the state has installed air purifying units. The DEP has tested around 90 homes, and continues to request access to test additional units.
“We’ve been very pleased with the responses we’ve been getting and the cooperation from the residents as well as from the Board of Health,” Joe Ferson, a DEP spokesperson, said.
DEP investigators don’t know for sure where the TCE came from, Ferson said, and they are still attempting to determine the extent of the contamination. Crews have been installing additional monitoring wells along Watertown Street over the past several weeks.
Breathing TCE over a long period of time can damage the liver, lungs and nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Breathing smaller amounts can cause headaches, dizziness, and lung irritation and make it difficult to concentrate.
The DEP is funding and overseeing the probe and remediation efforts but has been keeping city health officials informed of the investigation.
“All along the DEP has kept us informed of their project and we have sort of partnered with them in the work that they are trying to do,” said Linda Walsh, Newton’s deputy commissioner of public health.
Ward 1 Councilor Alison Leary said recently residents have seemed more concerned about the possibility of lead in their drinking water than about the TCE contamination, pointing out the contamination had been there “for decades, probably,” and that relatively few homes have needed air purifying units installed.
The DEP held a community meeting in May to update the community on the investigation.
“I was very satisfied with that meeting. I thought it went really well,” Leary said. “And people got the information they were looking for.”