A Superfund Site Considered in Ridgewood

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a site in Ridgewood for Superfund status, reports the Times. The location in question is the former Wolff-Alport Chemical Company facility at 1127-1129 Irving Avenue, now home to an auto repair shop, a construction firm, a warehouse and a deli. The Wolff-Alport Chemical Company supplied rare earth metals and dumped thorium and uranium into the sewer system until 1947. A comprehensive study here in 2012 found radiation levels high enough to cause an elevated risk of cancer for those who frequent the site. Right now, the EPA is installing lead and steel plates to block radiation beaming from the ground; they submitted a letter to nominate the site for Superfund status in August. If it is selected, this will be the city’s third Superfund site, after Newtown Creek and the Gowanus Canal. And it would only be the city’s second radioactive Superfund site — the first was also located in Queens, in Woodside.

Queens Industrial Site to Be Considered for Superfund Status [NY Times] GMAP

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