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Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site

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Coordinates: 40°27′51″N 74°15′30″W / 40.4641°N 74.2583°W / 40.4641; -74.2583
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Raritan Bay Slag
Superfund site
Seawall a Laurence Harbor
Geography
TownOld Bridge Township & Sayreville Borough
CountyMiddlesex
StateNew Jersey
Raritan Bay Slag is located in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Raritan Bay Slag
Raritan Bay Slag
Location of the site in Middlesex County
Information
CERCLIS IDNJN000206276
ContaminantsLead, antimony, arsenic, and copper
Responsible
parties		National Lead Company
Progress
ProposedApril 9, 2009 (2009-04-09)
ListedNovember 4, 2009 (2009-11-04)
List of Superfund sites

The Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site consists of a seawall along the coast of the Raritan Bay in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, United States. The seawall itself is made of slag. In this seawall, are large concentrations of lead, antimony, arsenic, and copper. The lead in particular has contaminated the nearby soil and surface water. The slag deposits are a by-product from NL Industries (formerly known as National Lead Company), a lead smelting company, dumping its wastes in the Raritan River. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) investigated the area and found large concentrations of metals to be dangerous to human health. The NJDEP called the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate the area further, which resulted in some of the slag being physically removed and the toxic areas being fenced off.[1]

Origins

Located in Laurence Harbor is the Old Bridge Waterfront Park, a boardwalk where the Superfund site is located.[2] The cause of the Superfund site is a lead smelting company, National Lead Company, which currently goes by the name NL Industries. NL Industries specializes in lead-based "quality-of-life" products such as paint and metal bearings. The factories belonging to NL Industries have led to several lawsuits due to environmental pollution, similarly to this Superfund site.[3]

Community history

The Raritan Bay is located in Laurence Harbor, an unincorporated community in Old Bridge Township and runs to Sayreville. Old Bridge Waterfront Park is a boardwalk in Laurence Harbor where the focus of this Superfund site is located. The boardwalk attracts tourists and locals alike for several beachside activities. These activities range from swimming and fishing to walking on the beachfront.[1][4]

Company history

NL Industries, formerly known as National Lead Company, is a lead smelting company, founded in Philadelphia and currently located in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1772, NL Industries specialized in lead solder, piping, and metal bearings which eventually changed to lead paint in the 1920s.[5] The experimentation of titanium dioxide gave NL Industries a foothold in the paint industry.[6] In later years, the company sold products to aid in the manufacturing of castor oil, rayon, airplanes, and oil drills. Due to multiple lawsuits because of environmental hazards created by NL Industries factories, NL Industries changed its name from the National Lead Company to NL Industries.[3][7]

Superfund designation

Elevated amounts of lead, antimony, arsenic, and copper were found by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Due to the concentrated amount along the shore of Laurence Harbor and Sayreville, the NJDEP called the EPA to evaluate the site. The EPA detected high levels of lead in the slag, soil, and water. Due to the concentration of harmful metals, action to clean up the site was recommended.[1][4]

State intervention

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, or NJDEP for short, have identified several dangerous heavy metals at the Raritan Bay Slag Site. These heavy metals include elevated concentrations of lead, antimony, arsenic, and copper. In addition to the location in Laurence Harbor, another area of concern was found on the Sayreville waterfront. The western jetty at the Cheesequake Creek inlet and waterfront area is the specific location of the area of concern. The NJDEP requested for the EPA to evaluate the Raritan Bay Slag site.[1]

National intervention

The EPA evaluated the Raritan Bay Slag site in 2009. After confirming the findings of the NJDEP, the EPA’s results showed elevated levels of lead in the slag, soil, sediment and surface water. Several locations along the shoreline were marked as “dangers to public health and safety”. Remedial action and cleanup as soon as possible was recommended by the EPA.[8][1][9]

Health and environmental hazards

The NJDEP and EPA’s observations have shown excessive amounts of lead, arsenic, antimony, and copper in the site. Lead is extremely dangerous, lethal if ingested, and can cause developmental issues for children and fetuses. Arsenic increases the chance of cancer, however the amount of arsenic present in the site is too small to cause serious human harm.[10]

Lead

Ingestion of lead at the correct dosage can kill. Accumulation of lead in the body can damage the gastrointestinal and nervous system, kidneys, or red blood cells. Children, infants, and fetuses are more affected by lead than adults.[11] Lead can cause learning difficulties, stunt physical and mental growth, or threaten fetal development.[12] The amount of lead needed to cause these effects is unknown as the effects can occur due to incredibly small amounts.[10][13]

Cleanup

The slag and other hazardous materials along the shoreline were recommended by the EPA to be physically removed from the area. Contaminated soil and surface water was also removed and treated. The excavation process began in November 2016.

Initial cleanup

Initial inspection of the site took place from September 2010 to June 2011. After the elevated quantities of heavy metals in the lag, soil, sediment, and surface water were identified, the EPA published a Record of Decision for the site in May 2013.[14] Excavation, dredging and off-site disposal were the EPA’s preferred method of cleanup. Slag, battery casings, and any other polluted material along with the soil the materials have contaminated would be dug up or dredged and disposed of at off-site facilities.[15] The surface water would be monitored to test if the removal increases any risks.[1]

Current status

In September 2016, $7 million of federal funding was awarded to the region. The Superfund State Contract was signed in July 2016. Field work officially began in November 2016. Partial site cleanup was completed in late fall of 2017.[16]

In 2021, dissatisfied with the progress of the cleanup, the EPA took over control of the site. The EPA claimed that National Lead was essentially dragging its feet in showing progress in cleanup design studies, both in June of 2020 and April of 2021, that they still continued to lack sufficient detail and were deemed unacceptable. The take over came five years after National Lead was given multiple extensions to provide the report.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f US EPA, OECA (24 November 2014). "Case Summary: $79 Million Cleanup Will Remove Toxic Lead from Popular Beach and Public Park". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Old Bridge Waterfront Park". middlesexcountynj.gov. Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Lehman Brothers: 1850 - 2008. "National Lead Company". www.library.hbs.edu. Harvard Business School Baker Library. Retrieved 21 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Pillets, Jeff (25 October 2022). "Hazard NJ: Superfund site on Raritan Bay". NJ Spotlight News. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  5. ^ "NL Industries, Inc". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  6. ^ "The History of America is the History of Lead". Toxic Docs Blog. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  7. ^ "This Lead Is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities". www.nlm.nih.gov. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Raritan Bay Slag". darrp.noaa.gov. Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  9. ^ Shahid, Aliyah (9 October 2009). "EPA prepares for cleanup of lead along Raritan Bay". nj.com. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b "RARITAN BAY SLAG Site Profile". cumulis.epa.gov. US EPA. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Lead poisoning". www.who.int. World Health Organization. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  12. ^ Bloom, Bloom (17 March 2016). "How safe is the water? Doctor answers commonly asked questions about lead". nj.com. NJ Advance Media. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Lead poisoning: Spot symptoms and limit exposure-Lead poisoning - Symptoms & causes". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Working to Reverse the Legacy of Lead in New Jersey's Raritan Bay". Office of Response and Restoration. NOAA. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  15. ^ Staff (27 August 2021). "Pallone announces $7M in new funds to begin cleanup of Margaret's Creek". Courier News. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Superfund Sites in Reuse in New Jersey". www.epa.gov. US EPA. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. ^ Strunsky, Strunsky (26 August 2021). "EPA takes over Raritan Bay Superfund study from company responsible for cleanup". nj.com. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved 21 July 2024.

40°27′51″N 74°15′30″W / 40.4641°N 74.2583°W / 40.4641; -74.2583

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