EPA proposes adding Vineland, NJ pesticide facility to Superfund list

September 29th, 2015 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

A new proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would place a pesticide manufacturing facility on its list of the most hazardous sites in the country. The site would be added to a Superfund list, which would provide money to help clean up the area and rid it of hazardous waste or at least protect the nearby residents. According to the EPA's website, analysis from soil samples taken in 2014 showed arsenic and high levels of lead. The findings extended to other areas around the facility. Residents have been alerted.

The manufacturing plant was in operation between the 1910s and the 1930s, according to the EPA. Currently the property is occupied by an active business that doesn't deal with hazardous materials. If the proposal is enacted, the EPA will work to clean up the hazardous waste so it doesn't affect anyone currently living or working near the facility.

"Superfund cleanups protect communities' health, their environments and their economic well-being, including some of the country's more vulnerable populations," Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, told the Press of Atlantic City.

New Jersey is on the EPA's list many times
According to the EPA, New Jersey has the highest number of hazardous waste sites on the list. With the addition of this new facility, there will be 114 sites in New Jersey. The EPA seems happy to keep adding sites to the list.

"The EPA is committed to protecting residents and workers from the high levels of arsenic and lead at this site," said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator, in an EPA press release. "By adding this site to the Superfund list, the EPA moves forward in its commitment to do extensive sampling needed to determine the best way to clean up the contamination."

Although New Jersey is high on the EPA's list, there were other sites added as well. The Press of Atlantic City reported that there were sites in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska and New Mexico. While the point of the lists is to clean up the hazardous waste and make the sites safe again, it also serves as a reminder of the importance of environmental regulations and EHS compliance. Compliance is about the overall well-being of the company and the community around it. While modern regulations help keep facilites safe, they aren't of much use if a facility is noncompliant.