Cleanup Planned at New Jersey Site
About ten miles outside of Manhattan, the city of Teterboro, New Jersey is gearing up for a cleanup project at one of the largest contaminated sites in the state. The former Bendix Aviation property located beside the Teterboro Airport will be cleaned up in order to make way for a hotel, office space, and an industrial complex. The 62-acre site is still being assessed to determine exactly how much contamination is present. Contaminants at the site include carcinogens like PCBs in the soil, as well as asbestos in some of the buildings on the property.
According to developer ProLogis, new construction on the site might start in 2011, but the start date will be determined in part by the extent of toxic materials found at the site. “I think everybody is anxious to move forward,” said Len Romino, who is the Department of Environmental Protection’s assistant director of site remediation. “They’re still determining remediation strategies.”
To date, ProLogis has already spent $5 million to remove asbestos from buildings on the site. The removal of asbestos must be done prior to demolition in order to prevent the material from becoming airborne. Inhaling or ingesting these airborne asbestos particles can be lethal. Exposure to asbestos has been linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that can lie dormant for decades but can also kill within months of being diagnosed. Mesothelioma affects thousands of new patients every year, but remains tragically incurable.
The plant was built in 1938 by Bendix Aviation but closed down in 2008. The asbestos on the site in consistent with many older buildings across the country, whereas the PCBs on the site came from coolants and lubricants used to make aircraft parts.
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