Borit asbestos site in pa may receive superfund money

Ambler, Pennsylvania - Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 has asked EPA headquarters to supply $4 million in Superfund money to clean up the BoRit asbestos site in Ambler, PA. The initial funding request came in a memo from Eduardo Rovira, the eastern EPA branch’s on-scene coordinator. Out of necessity the memo indicates on vague plans for cleaning the BoRit site, as it must allow for flexibility in the way asbestos removal and encapsulation is carried out. EPA headquarters have so far budgeted $2 million for the regional agency to complete asbestos abatement at the site, over a twelve month time frame. EPA community involvement coordinator Larry Johnson says this is just a starting point for clean-up of the BoRit site. In addition, Rovira says in the memo that he estimates eighteen months and more than $8.1 million will be needed to “prevent, limit or mitigate the threat posed by hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants at the site.” Rovira says that after additional data was collected at the site, it was determined that “additional funding will be necessary to complete the removal action and initiate additional removal activities.” The memo also says that the region can itself cover almost $4 million of the money needed for the clean-up, and asks that EPA headquarters cover the rest of the money. Asbestos fibers have been found in soil, surface water, sediment, and air samples at the BoRit site over the years. Despite the contamination the nearby creek is a popular local fishing site, and some studied have shown that asbestos has a negative effect on fishing, including increased mortality. More seriously, asbestos causes a type of asbestos cancer called mesothelioma in humans, which is highly lethal due to its resistance to treatment. The memo contains some serious warnings about the asbestos contamination at the site. “If the proposed actions at the site are not implemented or are delayed, the release of hazardous substances into the environment may increase as asbestos-containing materials erode, erosion and run-off continue, asbestos-containing materials are brought to the surface by burrowing animals and/or worst-case weather conditions develop.” In addition, the memo states that “Nearby human populations and the environment may continue to be threatened by the potential for exposure to hazardous substances.” Before money can be allotted for the project, however, details of the world that will be carried out on the site have to be formed into a cohesive plan. According to Larry Johnson the plan will be completed by June. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)