Thursday, March 28, 2024

EPA adds former pesticide manufacturing property in NJ to Superfund list

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently added a property in Vineland, New Jersey, that formerly housed a pesticide manufacturing facility for Kil-Tone Co., to its Superfund list due to arsenic and lead contamination in the site’s groundwater and soil.

The now defunct Kil-Tone Co. used the property, located at 527 East Chestnut Ave., from 1917 to 1926, and Lucas Kil-Tone Co. is believed to have continued those operations until at least 1933. This manufacturing legacy has left both the site and some neighboring residential properties with high concentrations of arsenic and lead, materials used in the pesticides.

“The EPA is committed to protecting residents from the high levels of arsenic and lead at this site,” EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck said. “The EPA has contacted community members and residents throughout the process to address the pollution. Now we can do the additional sampling needed to determine the best way to clean it up.”

In the short term, the EPA will begin to address the contaminants at the nearby residential properties by placing barriers made of sod, stone or mulch, amongst other materials, around the impacted areas. The agency will begin working to develop a final cleanup plan, which will be eligible for federal funding now that the site is on the Superfund list.