The EPA has gotten more aggressive about industrial contamination in general and about asbestos exposure in particular over the past year. In Pennsylvania, it has listed the “Borit” site as a contamination site in need of quick remediation.
Borit Asbestos Site
The Borit Asbestos site was used to dispose of asbestos-containing material which came from a nearby asbestos manufacturing plant from the 1930’s to the 1970’s. The site is divided into three parcels: an asbestos waste pile currently owned by developer Kane-Core, Inc.; a reservoir owned by the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve; and a former park/playground owned by Whitpain Township. There has been no definitive study about workplace exposure over the duration of the plant’s operation.
The waste pile, estimated to contain 149,500 cubic yards over six acres, is about 25 feet above ground surface. The berm of the 15-acre reservoir was constructed of asbestos shingles, millboard, and soil. Asbestos product waste, such as piping and tiles, is visible surrounding the reservoir and the banks of the three adjacent bodies of water. The third disposal area, which covers about 11 acres, was leveled, and eventually used as a park/playground. In the mid-1980’s, the area was fenced due to asbestos contamination.
This site has some startling similarities to the W.R. Grace mine in Montana, except that in Pennsylvania there has been, to date, no body of evidence indicating widespread asbestos related illness. However in PA the EPA is faced with a reservoir dam constructed in part with asbestos waste material, with potential contamination of water sources and with an extraordinary amount of contaminated material.
Incidence of Mesothelioma Higher in Surrounding Area
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports an increased level of mesothelioma occurrence in the nearby town of Ambler, but has no records on the rate of asbestosis development among the populace because asbestosis is not a reportable disease in the state. The state report goes on to speculate that most of the occurrences of asbestos related disease in the area probably impacted the employees of the Borit Asbestos Company decades ago.
