Arco Test Eases Concerns

Soil samplings come across no hidden dangers to residents

By JACK MORSE
The Brunswick News

Arco residents, it seems, can now sleep a little easier at night.

And they can sleep largely lead-free. Representatives from both the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry agreed that, based on results from soil samplings recently taken from the Arco neighborhood, the presence of lead or other chemicals is not high enough in the area to present any danger to current residents.

The Arco neighborhood has been a cause for concern and under investigation by the EPA because of its proximity to the former LCP Chemical factory, where mercury, PCBs and other hazardous Wastes were used and leaked into the immediate area.

About 45 people, primarily current and former Arco residents, attended a health consultation meeting the EPA held Thursday at the Selden Park gymnasium to talk about the issue.

“This is very good news,” Shea Jones, EPA remedial project manager for the LCP Chemicals Superfund site, said before the meeting.

“I think (Arco residents) are going to rest easier now, I definitely think this will alleviate their fears.”

The EPA tested soil in the neighborhood for lead, arsenic, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other contaminants.  Forty samples taken from throughout the neighborhood were analyzed.

Only one piece of property in the area was found to have high enough levels of lead in the soil to be considered a public health hazard.  But since the property is vacant, no one is in any danger, said David Mellard, a toxicologist with the disease registry who reviewed the sampling data.

“So for the Arco community as a whole, it’s safe for them to live in their neighborhood,” he said.

The high traces of lead can probably he traced to lead-based paint or even leaded gasoline, both of which were prevalent several decades ago.

Mallard said the LCP site is not a likely source for the lead since there weren’t any other unusually high concentrations of it found closer to the site, located to the north of the neighborhood, where samples were taken.

Still, some residents remained uneasy and raised concerns during a question and answer session at the end of the meeting.

Joel Myers, who grew up in, the Arco area, said he’s uneasy because the EPA didn’t take samples from a larger area.

“I feel like the study was too limited in scope,” he said. “The focus of the study was too narrow.”

Jones said the sites that were sampled were chosen because of their proximity to the LCP site.