By Nick Buglione
The chemical plume of tetrachloroethylene, a hazardous chemical commonly used in dry cleaning, and its natural breakdown products extends at least 124 feet below ground and stretches as far south as Devon Street, according to a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation report on the investigation.
Parents and school officials worried that the chemicals might contaminate the air at McVey Elementary School, on Devon Street, but tests showed children and staff are not at risk, the study stated.
Previous tests revealed, however, that the chemical had seeped from the ground and into the air of some businesses and at least two Front Street homes, at levels above state Department of Health guidelines. The investigation concluded that the air contamination does not appear to extend beyond the Front Street homes.
Ron Lupski lives in one of the Front Street homes where air contamination was found. While an air-purifying system was installed in his basement, it's effectiveness has been erratic at best, he said.
The level of vapors has fluctuated in his home and recently shot up, though officials didn't tell him the exact reading, he complained. "I think this whole thing is being handled very ineptly," said Lupski, who had thought about moving, but now worries how the contamination will affect his home's value.
There are myriad health risks associated with tetrachloroethylene, the extent of which are determined by the level and length of exposure, according to the state Department of Health. It-s been known to cause central nervous system, kidney and liver damage, as well as cancer.
The investigation also found that additional chemicals were leaking into the soil and groundwater from seven of the dry cleaner's underground leaching pools.
Cleanup measures include removing the contaminated material within the leaching pools and designing a soil vapor extraction system to filter the chemicals from the ground.
The apparatus works by emitting air through the contaminated soil and into extraction wells. There, a carbon filtration system rids the air of carried contaminants and returns it to the atmosphere.
Permanent monitoring wells will also be installed to continually monitor the groundwater. Samples will be analyzed quarterly.
An October 1999 environmental assessment of Melody Cleaners, at 2050 Hempstead Turnpike, first revealed that it had contaminated the soil and groundwater with tetrachloroethylene and its breakdown products.
It was determined in March 2000 that the chemicals had gotten into the soil through the cleaner's on-site cesspools, before the store-s connection to the municipal sewer system in 1982.
About 500 tons of tainted soil from three of the site-s cesspools were removed in 2000, cutting off the source of contamination. Melody Cleaners remains open, but only as a drop-off site for clothes that are then laundered elsewhere.
Trace levels of the chemicals were found in nearby Town of Hempstead water wells, though far below the standards that would require water treatment. The town continues to monitor the water supply.
The Lowden family, which owns the shopping center where the dry cleaner is located, hired Impact Environmental to investigate the contamination and devise a way to clean it up, under the supervision of the state DEC and DOH.
For more information on the report, visit www.dec.state.ny.us/website/der/projects.
