nuclear-news

Cleanup of 70 year old thorium uranium waste site at Brookly/Queens border

Site on borough border being purged of radiation, Queens Ledger,  by Kathleen Lees Nov 20, 2012   A piece of property along the Brooklyn/Queens border, formerly owned and operated by the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company, is currently undergoing a process to help reduce levels of elevated radiation in the area.

During the 1940s, the organization imported monazite sand at its location at 1125-1139 Irving Ave., which contains thorium and small amounts of uranium byproducts. When the company closed in 1954 and went out of business, an EPA document stated that some waste products
from the site were disposed into a nearby sewer or buried at the location.

And though an investigation in 1988 showed very low amounts of
radiation, since that time acceptable levels have changed…… Karam
stressed that while there would be no short-term effects for those
working at the site, he said there was a slightly elevated risk for
exposure over longer periods.

Local resident and Community Board 5 member Rose Johnson asked what
range of time short and long term would mean for those in the exposed
areas.

Karam said that for those working in the area for the next few years,
there would be no risk. However, for people working at the location
over several decades, they could be at a higher risk for various
illnesses.

“That’s why we’re looking to clean it up and try to reduce radiation
dose rates,” he said…… Eric Daly, the Environmental Protection
Agency’s onsite coordinator at the Wolff-Alport location, said that as
of Aug. 31, the state gave a referral to perform shielding in the
area.

On-site, a fence is currently being built around Cooper Avenue to
prevent people from entering the abandoned lot, and various types of
radiation abatement, including placing steel plates and concrete on
the sidewalk to lower radiation levels for workers and customers at
Primo Auto Body and Terra Nova Construction, is in the works,
according to Daly.

The EPA is also beginning radon testing at the nearby Audrey Johnson
daycare center near Cooper Ave.

“We really want to pinpoint those areas,” Daly said, referring to
shielding procedures that would help reduce radiation. “This is a way
for us to lower any risk that is there.”

Recent surveys have shown that radiation levels have been detected in
buildings in the area…..
http://www.queensledger.com/view/full_story/20892244/article-Site-on-borough-border-being-purged-of-radiation?instance=lead_story_left_column

November 21, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general