|
PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MARCH 30, 2006
A Public Information Meeting was held in the gymnasium of Enrico Fermi High School, 124 North Maple Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Thursday, March 30, 2006. Mayor Tallarita called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Present from the Enfield Town Council were Councilmen Crowley, Edgar, Hilinski, Kaupin, Lee, Mangini, Maxellon, Nelson, Peruta, Ragno, and Tallarita. Also present were Acting Town Manager, Christopher Bromson; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Deputy Director of Public Works, Geoffrey McAlmond; Assistant Director of Public Works, Colleen Brand;, and Road 2005 Coordinator, Tom McKee
Present from the Enfield Board of Education were Judith Apruzzese-Desroches, Donna J. Corbin Sobinski, Albert Harrison, Charles Johnson, Samuel McGill and Chairman Sharon Racine. Also present were Superintendent of Schools, John Gallacher; Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Anthony Torre; School Facilities Director, Arthur Pongratz
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY MAYOR PATRICK TALLARITA
Mayor Tallarita stated in the process of moving forward to do field renovations, pesticides were discovered. He noted they are continuing with tests. He noted they have assembled some experts to explain what this pesticide is, how it was discovered and what is being done. He noted after the experts have given their presentations, they will invite the public to come forward with questions.
Acting Town Manager, Christopher Bromson stated these pesticides were discovered in the process of routine testing on the athletic fields. He noted they alerted the Council and elected officials and all those that should be concerned about this. He stated they also informed the State DEP and Department of Health to advise them, get their input and their cooperation. He noted they ordered further testing by GeoDesign, and that was done and that is why some of the grassy areas around the school have been sectioned off. He explained this is not because of an immediate health risk, but because they wanted to take every precautionary step that they felt was appropriate. He noted there will also be some well testing tomorrow to be sure the groundwater is alright. He stated they’ve already received reports from Hazardville Water that the water is okay, however, they’re doing the testing again as a precautionary measure. He noted all of the information that’s become available to the Town has been put on the Town’s web site. He added they will also put the information from this evening’s presentation on the web site.
Timothy Carr, Licensed Environmental Professional from GeoDesign, Inc. reviewed a report entitled, “Preliminary Result of Soil Sampling for Pesticides – Athletic Fields and Surrounding Grounds.”
Mr. Carr stated no issues were found at Enfield High School.
He stated the set of compounds that came up with a red flag at Fermi High School were the pesticides Dieldrin and Chlordane, which used to be fairly common, but are no longer used today. He pointed out they run into these compounds fairly frequently. He explained they compared the results of their testing to Connecticut remediation standards that the DEP enforces. He noted of the ten samples they took at various depth intervals, eight of them exceeded the residential direct exposure criteria for Dieldrin. He stated one sample was more than 30 times the standard.
Mr. Carr explained Dieldrin is typically a spray applied or a surface application of a pesticide. He noted they would not expect to see this compound much deeper than within a couple feet of grade.
He stated based on the first set of results, the Town Manager, Mayor and Town proactively notified DEP in a very quick manner. He noted on Saturday they took 14 more soil samples, and these samples were much shallower. He stated they took samples by hand at zero to three inches and another set of samples at three to six inches. He noted they didn’t limit the samples to the athletic fields and checked around school grounds. He stated with those 14 samples, they again exceeded the residential direct exposure criteria for Dieldrin.
Mr. Carr pointed out his firm has found this problem elsewhere in the state, and it is very common.
Kevin Neary of the Connecticut State Department of Environmental Protection then spoke about this issue. He noted this will be a team effort between the state and local agencies. He stated they will be sure everything is done correctly on a step-by-step basis, and that the proper procedures are followed through. He noted his agency is here to answer any questions.
Meg Harvey, Health Assessor, from the Connecticut Department of Public Health reviewed a report entitled, “Pesticides in Soil at Enrico Fermi High School – What are the Risks?”
Ms. Harvey stated Dieldrin is the primary pesticide that was found in the soil and Chlordane to a lesser extent. She explained Dieldrin and Chlordane are man-made insecticides that were used from the 1950’s to the 1970’s, and they were used widely in a lot of agricultural crops, as well as for termite control. She noted these pesticides were banned in the late 1970’s for use with food crops because of concerns to human and wildlife risk and also because they are persistent in the environment. She stated these compounds accumulate in the food chain and do not break down easily. She explained these compounds accumulate in the fat of animals. She noted the uses of these pesticideswere continued to be allowed until the late 1980’s, but only for termite control in homes. She stated these pesticides are still used in a number of countries outside of the USA.
Ms. Harvey stated exposure to soil means contact with the soil in that the chemical in the soil gets into the body. She explained that generally with soil, there are three main ways that exposure contact can occur – eating the soil, touching the soil (some chemicals can be absorbed through the skin), and breathing dust. She noted without exposure there is no risk and no possibility of health impacts.
She addressed the question – “If exposed, will I get sick?” She noted it depends on different factors:
1. Kind of chemical?
2. How much?
3. How long exposed?
4. How frequently?
She listed the health effects Dieldrin can have in people. She emphasized these health effects come from studies of people who were exposed at very high levels and also studies of laboratory animals. She explained they generally divide health effects into two categories – short term or acute effects, which can be seen after a short period of exposure and long-term effects. She noted when there’s an exposure to very high levels of Dieldrin over a short period of time, it acts on the nervous system (e.g. convulsions). This would apply to pesticide sprayers and workers in pesticide factories. She noted studies have shown that animals given very high levels of Dieldrin had similar nervous system effects and also effects on the liver and kidney. She noted it is not known if liver and kidney effects are something that is seen in humans. She emphasized that the levels that these workers and animals are exposed to are hundreds and thousands of times greater than any exposure that anyone could receive from the levels of Dieldrin at Fermi’s property.
As concerns long-term (chronic) effects, Ms. Harvey stated it is known that Dieldrin causes cancer in animals, however, it’s not known for certain whether it causes cancer in humans. She noted cancer studies in humans are inconclusive. She went on to state as public health officials, when they have animal information that tells them something is clearly cancer-causing, then they take the protective position and assume it could possibly cause cancer in humans, and they treat and regulate the chemical as if it could cause cancer in humans.
Ms. Harvey explained how they evaluate the risks. She noted their first step is usually to compare the environmental levels in the soil with the state cleanup standards. She stated there are a number of locations in the athletic fields and closer to the school where the pesticide concentrations exceeded Remediation Standard Regulations (RSR’s). She noted the clean-up standards are developed to apply universally to all sites and are developed to be extremely health protective and extremely conservative. She stated those standards assume a lot of exposure to soil and those are the kinds of assumptions that go into the calculations to develop the RSR’s. She noted in the coming weeks, they will do a risk assessment, and they use more realistic assumptions about exposure that fit better to the particulars of the school site, and they estimate risks and those risk calculations and results are really a tool to help the Department of Health make decisions about managing the risks and help them give appropriate suggestions and guidance to DEP and to the Town.
Ms. Harvey concluded stating grass provides a good barrier to prevent contact and exposure with the soil. She noted they feel very confident that the pesticide levels are not high enough to cause acute effects. She added they also believe, based on their evaluation, that it is unlikely anyone has received enough exposure for long enough periods of time for cancer risks to be of a great concern, however, that is not to say that the cancer risk is zero, because it is not.
She stated they advised the Town to take a prudent course of action to insure at this time that there isn’t any further potential for soil exposure while additional testing is done and while the results are fully evaluated.
Chairman Tallarita stated this is a team approach, and the Town is relying on experts in many different areas – the State Department of Environmental Protection, the State Department of Public Health and on the local side William Blitz and Michael Caronna are present for the North Central Health District Department.
Sharon Racine, the Chairman of the Enfield Board of Education, stated the School Administration has kept the Board well informed about the actions taken so far. She expressed her appreciation to the School staff, Town administration, Town staff and Council leadership for all the work done so far.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher, explained what the School Department has been doing.
1. The School Department has cooperated completely with local and state agencies involved.
2. The fields and other areas closer to the building were closed immediately as a precautionary measure as recommended by the health agencies.
3. Pupils, staff, parents, the community and media have been notified through a variety of channels, including public address announcements, flyers to parents, postings on the school web pages and press releases.
4. School nurses have been made available to students, staff and parents. Fermi nurses took the additional step to contact parents of any known, potentially hyper-sensitive students.
5. Alternative fields and a track have been secured for the Fermi spring athletic teams and bus transportation has been arranged to transport athletes.
6. Copies of the soil sample reports and related information, as well as the Hazardville Water Company testing record, has been distributed to the Board, and the Board discussed those items in an open session with the news media present. In partnership with the Town, they will continue to openly share reports upon receipt with the public.
7. They reviewed the previous soil sample reports made during the elementary school additions, the Head Start building construction and the Kennedy Middle School addition, and all of those reports showed no concerns. Similar tests were conducted at Enfield High School as part of that field work, and those tests came back with no concerns.
8. They worked with the Town to arrange indoor sampling at Fermi High School beyond the additional outdoor sampling and well water work, and all of that work is already underway.
9. They have called the School Facilities Unit at the Connecticut State Department of Education about this issue, and if remediation is required, they will work with the State and local representatives to secure all financial assistance that would be available.
Dr. Gallacher thanked the Fermi administration, staff and student body for their patience and cooperation. He noted they are conducting business as usual at Fermi High School. He stated the school district will continue to cooperate fully and be fully open with the public.
Chairman Tallarita invited members of the public to come forward with any questions. He informed the public that the Town will continue to use the Town’s web site to put information out to the community.
Patrick Danford, 8 Booth Road
Questioned why the soil wasn’t tested years ago. Chairman Tallarita stated there’s no requirement to do testing on the fields at any given point.
Mr. Danford questioned whether a letter will go out to all former students since the beginning of Fermi High School to inform them what is going on. Chairman Tallarita stated that option has not yet been considered. Mr. Danford stated his belief that may be a good way to learn about the health of former students.
Mr. Danford stated his hope there will not be any cover-ups regarding the dangers of these pesticides. He raised the possibility of these pesticides being present in residential neighborhoods or other schools in Enfield that were built on former agricultural land. He stated his belief the Town also has the responsibility of checking former maps of the Town to see if other people are being exposed to these pesticides.
He referred to exposure to these pesticides through eating, touching or breathing and pointed out athletes sometimes play directly on soil in games such as football, soccer and baseball.
He suggested perhaps random blood work could be done on students and some long-time teachers. He pointed out some students are involved in sports for four years while at Fermi, and he feels that is a lot of exposure.
Diane Maxellon, 350 Washington Road
Expressed her appreciation for the prompt action of the Town and School system in this matter. She noted she is the mother of a cancer survivor who developed cancer while he was a senior at Fermi High School, therefore, she has a lot of concerns. She questioned the contradiction whereby in one brochure it states a person needs to have large amounts of Dieldrin enter the body in a short period of time to experience acute toxic effects, and the other brochure from the agency for toxic substances states health effects may also occur after a long period of exposure of smaller amounts. Ms. Harvey stated it’s not actually a contradiction, but rather it’s the difference between acute exposures and long term exposures. She noted when they’re referring to short term or acute exposures, that’s typically to large amounts of the chemical over a short period of time. She explained the long term exposures are to lower amounts over long periods of time. She noted it is important to remember that the studies that were done where cancer was clearly linked to Dieldrin exposure was done in laboratory animals, and those animals were given large amounts of Dieldrin over their lifetime.
Ms. Maxellon questioned whether it’s known if short term exposure to the pesticides causes cancer.
Ms. Harvey stated they regulate Dieldrin as a cancer-causing chemical because they don’t have positive information that tells them it is a cancer causing agent in humans. She noted they only know that it causes cancer in animals.
Dawn Tryon, 8 Lynch Terrace
Questioned what constitutes a high risk child. Dr. Gallacher stated his understanding that parents submit health records for their child that indicate a child might be hyper-sensitive. He noted this might involve a child with acute asthma or an allergy to something. He stated they contacted those parents to make them aware of what is happening.
Ms. Tryon questioned how and when the Town plans to remove the contaminated soil. Chairman Tallarita stated they have not yet made a decision on what type of action will be taken because they are waiting for all of the testing to be completed.
Karen LaPlante, 166 North Maple Street
Questioned if the lower level of pesticides at the deeper level relates to a clay layer. Mr. Carr stated typically Dieldrin is spray applied, and the highest concentrations of this pesticide are found closer to the surface. He noted this chemical likes to bind to organic soils. He described the soils at Fermi as being fairly dense with a high silt content, therefore, they would not expect a lot of downward migration impact to the water table, particularly with Dieldrin.
Ms. LaPlante voiced her concern that the Town will spend a lot of money to remediate Fermi’s property, and abutting farm property that creates a lot of dust during plowing will contaminate Fermi’s soil over a period of time. She noted abutting farms still have this pesticide in their soil.
Michelle Provencher, senior at Enrico Fermi High School
Questioned what the Town plans to do with the students if it’s found there are remnants of this pesticide inside the school or in the water. Chairman Tallarita stated they will first do the testing, and if they do find anything, they will have to come up with a plan. He noted they’re trying to fully understand the situation before making decisions. He stated the Town’s main concern is the well-being of students and the community.
Ms. Provencher stated she and her friends are concerned because it appears they might not be having their graduation on the fields. Chairman Tallarita stated they will have more answers once the testing is complete.
Chairman Tallarita stated the Town’s first actions throughout all of this are to ensure the safety of the public. He noted when it was found there was a reportable level of pesticides, the Town had 90 days within which to report to the DEP, however, DEP was notified at 9:00 a.m. the following morning when the DEP opened. He pointed out a lot of Town officials played on these fields, and they have children playing on these fields. He emphasized they want to get all of the answers and act appropriately. He noted they will continue to keep everyone abreast of what is going on through the Town’s web site which will be kept updated, and the public will know all of the information as soon as the Town knows it. He noted the web site contains contact information of all Town officials if anyone from the public has questions.
Nancy Begnoche, 17 Harvest Road
Stated many people don’t have access to the internet. She noted she and some other parents never received notice about this, nor did they know about this evening’s meeting. She suggested perhaps information can be made available at the Town library for those people who do not have access to the Town’s web site. Chairman Tallarita agreed they can leave information at the library. He pointed out people can access the internet at the library as well.
As no others wished to speak, Chairman Tallarita closed the information meeting at 8:00 p.m. |