EPA indicates no concerns at proposed Strecker Forest property

The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 15 hosted a public meeting at Lafayette High School to present the results of the dust sampling and preliminary results of the hydrogeologic assessment it conducted inside abandoned residences on the proposed Strecker Forest subdivision property.

The EPA evaluated potential health risks to workers involved in the demolition of three abandoned structures located on the proposed Strecker Forest subdivision adjacent to the Ellisville Superfund Site, which remains on the EPA’s National Priority List. Residents have expressed concerns that dioxins and furans inside the structures could pose significant health risks to workers during demolition.

Six indoor dust samples from the former Primm residence and the Dozier residence and garage were collected to determine their levels of dioxins and furans. Dust samples were collected from the first floor kitchen/dining areas and the second floor foyer/den areas and then from the garage of the Dozier residence. The five samples were collected from the floors, while the sample from the garage was collected from the windowsills, shelves and ledges.

Based on the data, the EPA said the demolition of the three structures would not present significant health risks from exposure to dioxins and furans, and therefore, no special precautions or additional protective gear would be required to conduct the demolition.

“The numbers we’re seeing so far don’t indicate that there is a need for immediate response or immediate problems with public health, but it’s something that we’ve got to take a closer look at,” EPA project manager Bob Field said.

Concerned residents asked why there were no samples taken from any other parts of the properties and why the findings were only based on estimates.
“We believe the dust samples we collected would be representative of the interior dust,” Field said. “It’s hard to imagine that the dust collected from a different part of the house would have such a drastically different concentration. This was our professional judgment to be a basic representation.”

Each of the samples was analyzed for the 17 types of dioxins and furans that could potentially present health concerns, which Wildwood Councilmember Tammy Shea (Ward 3) said were the same 17 types the Mundell Report found to be of concern.

The city of Wildwood has spent more than $500,000 on the investigation, and some residents think the issue has gone too far.
“They’re not looking at the data; they don’t care and they’re only worried about property values and want to make this a non-issue,” Shea said. “The buildings need to come down; that is what we can agree on. They have dioxin in them. But normally when you have this in a building, you remediate and clean the building before you take it down, and that’s what they’re trying to avoid.”

Field said during the investigation, there was one location where the EPA did find odors.
“But in all cases, we never even approached a level of concern on the handheld device, but that may be an indication that there is something there in those samples, so we have to wait for those results to come back,” Field said.
He said the ultimate goal is to remove the Ellisville site from the National Priority List.

“This is a process,” Shawn Grindstaff, EPA Region 7 coordinator, said. “We’ll be back when it’s time for the next round. We don’t know exactly when that’s going to be, but rest assured, we’ll have another meeting.”
He said the final report of the Expanded Site Review would be released at a later date.

For more information about the property, visit epa.gov/region07/cleanup/strecker_forest/index.htm or call Community Involvement coordinator Ben Washburn at (800) 223-0425 or email washburn.ben@epa.gov.