By NANCY HILER
The business was located in the shopping center at 2815-41 Jerusalem Ave., where there are now an Eckerd pharmacy and other smaller stores. The dry-cleaner operated from 1958 to 1980.
In 1997, when the site was remediated, much less was known about PCE's potential effect on the environment. "As our knowledge evolved," engineering geologist and DEC Project Manager Dan Eaton explained, "the DEC began to reassess all cleanup sites in the state." The Village Valet location is one of 425 on the DEC's list of sites being re-examined in recent years.
The first tests that Eaton's DEC team performed in the past few weeks were at the nearby Saw Mill Road School and the public rights-of-way along Jerusalem Avenue, Pea Pond Road and Saw Mill Road because "groundwater flows southward," Eaton said. These locations were chosen because the DEC had easy access to them, and more important, because children frequent them.
Eaton said that North Bellmore School District administrators were unusually accommodating. School Superintendent Dominic Mucci told him, "It's about the safety of the children -- let's do it," when he requested access, he said. "I don't always get that kind of cooperation."
³No exposure² at school
"The good news is that there is no exposure in the indoor air, no potential for exposure concerns beneath the floor and none in the sub-slab soil vapor at the school based on the tests," Eaton said during an Aug. 29 meeting of parents at the school. "We pushed to get the testing done before school opened." Roadway testing came in at levels "of no concern" as well, he said.
Continual, long-term exposure to high concentrations of PCE, particularly in closed, poorly ventilated areas, can cause life-threatening illnesses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The department has determined that PCE is a likely cancer cause. According to the Centers for Disease Control, extended PCE exposure is related to a variety of cancers.
"After the cleanup, PCE was detected in the soils at the dry-cleaner at 300 parts per billion, well below the DEC-recommended goal of 1,400 ppb," Eaton said. "PCE was found in the groundwater at levels of 130 ppb at the site and 25 ppb down gradient in public roadway areas. A site-specific acceptable level of PCE for groundwater will be established by the DEC as part of the overall assessment for this project."
Sharon McLelland, a public-health specialist from the state Department of Health, said her department's indoor guideline for exposure to PCE is calculated slightly differently than it is at the DEC. Namely, it is set at 100 micrograms per cubic meter (100 mcg/m3) of air. The levels found in various underground and basement areas of the school ranged from below 1 mcg/m3 to just above 7 mcg/m3, all of which "are not levels that are of any concern," McLelland said. Everyday background levels in indoor and outdoor air are at that level, generally ranging from 1 to 10 mcg/m3, according to the Health Department.
Testing continues
The DEC is seeking access to buildings at the shopping center for additional testing as part of its ongoing reassessment. Groundwater and vapor sampling in the area will continue for the next six months, Engineer and DEC Eastern Investigation Chief John Swartwout estimated.
When asked about possible exposure to patrons of current stores and restaurants in the vicinity, McLelland said, "Exposure to food is not a concern," nor is exposure to low levels of PCE generally. DEC and health officials said they had patronized the very businesses and eateries being discussed.
Petroleum issue
Testing of the groundwater at the school property revealed a separate petroleum issue. A petroleum substance called toluene was detected at a level of 245 mcg.m3 in the deep basement area of the building, as contrasted with its DOH guideline value of 100 mcg/m3. Toluene occurs naturally in crude oil. It is also produced in gasoline refinement, and is used to make paints, paint thinners, lacquers and adhesives.
The DEC will continue to monitor toluene, McLelland said, to determine whether this level is the result of "shop inventory such as lawn mowers." Depending on further investigation, recommendations might be made regarding ventilation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, toluene is a respiratory tract irritant that can also affect the nervous system, particularly in high airborne concentrations. Studies in humans and animals indicate that toluene does not cause cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the carcinogenicity of toluene cannot be classified.
The DEC plans to conduct further testing in February at the school for PCE and petroleum, Eaton said, which would be considered the time of "worst-case scenario." Any chemicals in soil vapor and groundwater would be at their highest levels "after the ground has been frozen and the building closed up during winter months," he explained.
Site was not a high priority
Eaton said that the testing was not precipitated by any recent environmental incident, and not by the recent construction along Jerusalem Avenue. He said that all former hazardous-waste cleanup sites in the state were prioritized and systematically re-examined, and that locations other than the Village Valet were higher on the list, since this was "not considered high priority."
Groundwater, not drinking water
The drinking-water supply is separate from groundwater in Nassau County. Drinking water is tested regularly and is safe, Eaton emphasized. In this case, the groundwater was tested at 18 feet below the surface. That is "hundreds of feet" above the near-bedrock of the Magothy and Lloyd aquifers that supply the community's municipal water, Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg said during the meeting. At the same time, that is well below the depth of any digging that would be conducted for roadway or other construction purposes, Eaton said.
Community information
McLelland said, "It is assumed that everyone's on public water and has no ingestion exposure to PCE." She added that the DEC needs to know if any local home is connected to an old well or gets its lawn-sprinkling system through a well, since wells access groundwater. DeFranco said that permits are not required for low-volume wells in the county, so there was no way to know who might have them. Any homeowners who have or suspect that they have wells on their properties are asked to apply for a free well survey by e-mailing Eaton at djeaton@gw.dec.state.ny.us. Community members may send requests to Eaton at that address to be included on a mailing list for more information.
Comprehensive reports will be issued as information is gathered and final testing is done. Eaton said it's unusual for the DEC to speak publicly at this early stage of re-testing, but that the meeting was held at the request of the school district, specifically to inform parents before school opened. The DEC is likely to hold a public meeting in the future once more complete information is compiled.
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
