By: Nick Buglione
Geological Services Corp., a Holbrook-based environmental company hired by Shell to survey its closed gas station on the corner of Carman Avenue and Third Street, found levels of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in tests late last month, according to Bill Fonda, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
MTBE is a fuel additive that often leaks from underground storage tanks in stations. The chemical tends to dissolve quickly through the soil and into the groundwater, often flowing along with it for considerable distances, according to the DEC.
An initial investigation started and the contractor showed some contamination present, Fonda said. That-s the information we have as of now.
Drinking or breathing MTBE can cause nausea, nose and throat irritation and nervous system effects, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. There is no evidence that exposure to MTBE causes cancer in humans, although one study found that breathing high levels of the chemical for long periods caused kidney cancer in rats and liver cancer in mice, the agency found.
Samples taken from the site found that the levels of chemicals in the soil were up to DEC standards, Fonda said.
It-s not yet known how high the concentrations of chemicals in the groundwater are or how far the contamination has traveled from the site. Just because the chemicals are in the groundwater doesn-t necessarily mean it is in the drinking water. Subsequent tests by Geological Services Corp. will determine all of that, Fonda said. The DEC is overseeing the work.
The Shell station has been closed for months and is situated immediately south of a residential area in East Meadow. The Nassau University Medical Center is across the street.
Fonda said it-s likely a cleanup will have to be conducted, but until more information is ascertained no plan is in place. I would imagine that there probably will have to be remediation, he said.
The gas station is just east of the Melody Cleaners, which had been leaking a harmful chemical used in the dry-cleaning process into the soil and groundwater that spread south from the site.
Tests concluded that the air in most homes was safe to breath and the water safe to drink, though two residences in the Front Street area and a business near the dry cleaner showed higher concentrations of the chemical and had to be equipped with a special apparatus to filter it out of the air.
The source of that contamination has since been cut off and cleanup measures are being implemented.
For more information about the gas station spill, contact the DEC at (631) 444-0240.
