Nj environmental group targets chemical companies

A New Jersey environmental group has increased its legal efforts against two chemical companies it alleges have polluted a section of the Raritan River in Edison. The polluted segment of river is located near a popular public boating area. On July 16, Edison Wetlands Association and Eastern Environmental Law Center filed a motion seeking an injunction which would force the two companiesâ€"Akzo Nobel Chemicals and Basell USAâ€"to immediately cease discharging liquid and solid waste into the environment, and remove hazardous waste which has already built up along the river’s shoreline. Edison Wetlands Association member Robert Spiegel says samples of mud and tar from the river’s shore have been tested and found to contain a range of contaminants, including asbestos and 4-chloroaniline. Spiegel says the presence of those site-related materials clearly indicate that the materials are seeping out from the industrial sites. Even worse, however, is that the polluted area is located very close to popular public recreation areas. Spiegel says contaminated samples have been taken from an area which is “not even a hundred feet from where people come to fish.” Samples taken by an Akzo Nobel Chemicals consultant indicated the presence of high levels of benzene and arsenic. Benzene was found to be present at 860 times higher than acceptable limits, and arsenic at 550 times higher, according to standards set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. In January 2008, EWA filed a lawsuit claiming both chemical companies were violating the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. However, Spiegel says that despite the evidence the environmental association presented no further action was taken. The EWA says it doesn’t yet know how far into the river the pollution has spread. Spiegel says, “We want the judge to order the companies to clean up their toxic mess first. Only then, we can clean up the river.” Spiegel says that the Department of Environmental Quality, and the owner of the site, have known for years that the contamination has reached unacceptably high levels, but have consistently failed to take any action. One problem delaying action is the question of who is responsible. Akzo Novel sold the site to Basell USA around two years ago, and Basell says that the responsibility for cleaning up the mess lies with Akzo Nobel. An Akzo representative said the company is reviewing the documents the EWA filed on Wednesday. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)