EPA Pledges It's Working With Residents on Chromium Contamination Issue in NJ

The Record reported that there is evidence contamination is still leaking into groundwater

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that it is working to make sure residents in Garfield, N.J. aren't exposed to toxic substances in their homes after federal officials found a pool of cancer-causing chromium underneath an abandoned factory.

"Our goal is to make sure residents are not exposed to any toxic substances in their homes, so we will work closely with them," EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said.

The Record reported Sunday that EPA tests show strong evidence that contamination from the E.C. Electroplating plant on Clark Street is still getting into the groundwater. That pollution, the paper said, is spreading beyond the boundaries of the known Superfund site.

So far, EPA tests have found chromium in 13 basements, The Record said. And the EPA is drilling test wells miles away in Passaic to determine whether the contamination seeped through bedrock under the Passaic River.

Federal officials say the contamination is a "serious threat to human health," the newspaper said. But residents have not been told to evacuate. And state officials have not found elevated cancer rates in the area.

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