Ithaca, NY residents are voicing their concerns regarding the decontamination and subsequent demolition of the Ithaca Gun Company factory on Lake Street, and as details of the decontamination plan are revealed, a group known as the Ithaca Gun Community Advisory Group is calling for testing at the site following demolition.
The Ithaca Gun Company building, which is located on 2.1 acres at 121-125 Lake Street, was built prior to the World War I and provided much of the area’s early industry. The company manufactured guns that were utilized during WWI and II and was in business from 1880 to 1886 before declaring bankruptcy. Since then, the factory has remained, and the level of contamination at the site is staggering. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials state that the site contains dangerous levels of lead, trichloroethylene, and asbestos and extensive decontamination will have to occur before the building can be demolished. Both asbestos (the only known cause of mesothelioma cancer) and trichloroethylene are carcinogens, and lead exposure has long been linked to neurological problems.
According to EPA, the Department of Environmental Conservation, (DEC) and officials at Cornell University, who own property adjacent to the factory site, the hazardous materials at the Ithaca Gun Company factory are responsible for contamination of land stretching from the factory site on Lake Street to a nearby gorge. Officials estimate that initial contamination occurred and was first recognized about 35 years ago, and test results from the last 10 years indicate an ongoing presence of asbestos, lead, mercury, and even uranium in the soil and water.
The Ithaca Gun Community Advisory Group stated that they are encouraged at the prospect of decontamination and demo at the factory site, but are fearful that contaminants will remain after the demolition is completed. The group, along with Ithaca mayor Carolyn Peterson, is demanding that testing occur at the site and nearby land after demo is complete to ensure that all hazardous contaminants have been removed. In addition, the group is concerned over the possibility that toxic rubble and sediment will be left at the site after demo. A condominium complex will reportedly be built on the site after all demolition has been completed.
Approximately $4 million dollars has already been spent at the site on cleanup, according to EPA. Decontamination could begin any day, according to DEC officials, but the issues concerning the Ithaca Gun Community Advisory Group have yet to be resolved.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center encourages EPA, along with the DEC and the Ithaca community, to take all necessary precautions during decontamination and demolition to prevent further exposure, as well as the implementation of air and soil quality testing following all demolition to ensure that the site is free of contaminants and cleared for the building of a new structure.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center is the web’s foremost resource for information related to asbestos exposure, mesothelioma cancer, mesothelioma treatment options and more. Please visit www.maacenter.org for further information.
