EPA CALLS FOR KEYSOR SITE CLEANUP EX-PLASTICS PLANT LEFT CANCER-CAUSING POLLUTANTS.Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA -- Cancer-causing chemicals still in the soil and groundwater at a former Saugus plastics plant make the property eligible for the federal Superfund cleanup program, the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and has found. In a report issued today, the agency recommends including the property, which is southeast of the junction of Bouquet Canyon and Soledad Canyon roads, on a priority list of hazardous sites that warrant cleanup by state or federal agencies. The Superfund was established by the federal government in 1980 to deal with the nation's most polluted sites. ``We now have a site that is eligible for further federal action,'' said Matt Mitguard, project manager for the EPA's Superfund. ``We have to determine whether that's a viable option or whether there are other regulators that would be more suitable to ensure the site is cleaned up, according to our findings.'' Mitguard said the property's current owner, Saugus Industrial Center LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , granted access to investigators. The contamination was left by the prior owner, Keysor Century Corp., he said. The Keysor facility in Saugus manufactured polyvinyl chloride polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic that is a polymer of vinyl chloride. Resins of polyvinyl chloride are hard, but with the addition of plasticizers a flexible, elastic plastic can be made. used in making record albums and other plastics from 1958 to 2003. The EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. classifies vinyl chloride vinyl chloride or chloroethylene Colourless, flammable, toxic gas (H2C=CHCl), belonging to the family of organic compounds of halogens. It is produced in very large quantities and used principally to make PVC, as well as in other syntheses and in , a gas used in making PVCs, as a cancer-causing substance. Keysor's attorneys could not be reached Wednesday for comment. EPA investigators said Keysor illegally stored, handled and burned hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. at the site, falsified emissions-monitoring reports and altered gauges that measured workers' exposure to the chemicals to disguise safety breaches. The EPA began its site investigation in June 2005, sank five groundwater monitoring wells and collected soil samples from 15 areas on the property. The assessment report issued today shows hazardous volatile organic compounds volatile organic compound Environment Any toxic cabon-based (organic) substance that easily become vapors or gases–eg, solvents–paint thinners, lacquer thinner, degreasers, dry cleaning fluids remain in the soil and the water. Contaminants include lead compounds, solvents and vinyl chloride that can cause cancer, kidney and brain damage. Mitguard said chemicals released into the air can dissipate, and the groundwater would only be treated if it a source of drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. . The report notes that the property sits over two local groundwater sources, which are tapped for drinking water. ``Since a release to groundwater has been demonstrated, the 23 drinking water wells within the 4-mile radius of the site may be threatened,'' the report said. Local water purveyors have not yet been notified of the findings, but years ago the EPA alerted Valencia Water Co. about the problems at the Keysor site. At that time, the water company provided the EPA with water quality data from wells in the groundwater basin. The water utility's wells in the area augment its supply of state water to serve local customers. Five water wells in the vicinity believed to be contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. from operations at the Whittaker-Bermite site, which abuts Keysor, tested positive for perchlorate perchlorate: see chlorate. . They were shut down and monitoring wells were dug nearby. Perchlorate has been linked to thyroid problems. Water companies routinely test for the compounds found at the Keysor site, but none had been found in the local water supply as of September 2005, when Mitguard announced the agency's plans. If the substances were found in the water supply, the company would be required to inform its customers and city and county agencies. While the contaminated Whittaker site is nearby, investigators found Keysor's ``contaminants are attributable, at least in part, to the Keysor site because (the compounds) have been detected at elevated concentrations in onsite soil samples ... (and) vinyl chloride was used as a raw material in Keysor's manufacturing process for approximately 45 years.'' In August 2004, Keysor officials pleaded guilty to felony charges of violating environmental laws by belching belching see eructation. cancer-causing chemicals into the air and sending toxic wastewater into the Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
Following a tip from a whistle-blower whis·tle·blow·er or whis·tle-blow·er or whistle blower n. One who reveals wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those in positions of authority: "The Pentagon's most famous whistleblower is . . in 2000 and an investigation by the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office changed the company with illegal disposal of waste, falsifying fal·si·fy v. fal·si·fied, fal·si·fy·ing, fal·si·fies v.tr. 1. To state untruthfully; misrepresent. 2. a. records, conspiracy and mail fraud during the period from 1997 to 2001. Keysor Century had halted operations and filed for bankruptcy in 2003. About three-quarters of the hilly 32-acre property was covered by grass and shrubs. Structures and processing areas were concentrated on eight acres. The fenced site is nestled in an industrial area near the Santa Clara River and its south fork. The EPA tries to involve stakeholders in the cleanup process, and in this case it might refer the site to a state agency as part of a federal-state partnership. ``We no longer have a tax that supports the Superfund Trust Fund,'' Mitguard said. ``It has expired and has not been renewed by this administration. That's what our cleanup vehicle has been.'' Superfund pinpoints, evaluates and cleans up the country's most severely contaminated sites. Sites are scored on a point system, with the worst offenders qualifying for inclusion on the National Priorities List. Sites on the list compete for funding. The results of the Keysor investigation have been slow in coming, in part because the program's staff is stretched thin, with Mitguard and a handful of staff members overseeing a region that includes California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. About 100 hazardous sites are priority-listed in that territory and about 400 to 500 sites are in the pipeline along with Keysor. Decades before the city blossomed into its current incarnation as a highly desirable commuter hub of Los Angeles, companies sprawled around town manufactured and tested munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. , fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to and plastics at a time when materials' disposal was not as stringently regulated as it is now. The nearly 1,000-acre Whittaker-Bermite property lies on Keysor Century's eastern boundary. Contaminants in the soil and groundwater remain from five decades of weapons manufacturing and testing. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control finished its investigation of the soil and is cleaning the first of several contaminated sectors. The groundwater investigation is in the final stages. judy.orourke@dailynews.com (661) 257-5255 CAPTION(S): map Map: Toxins found Daily News |
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