epa begins testing air in homes near south bay superfund sites

Almost 15 years after the staff dug out and replaced the contaminated soil from the front of Cynthia Medina, federal officials have placed dart-
She installed the size air quality sampler in her home in South Bay.
These tests will reveal whether dangerous steam oozes out of contaminated groundwater beneath her house. The U. S.
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency began testing air in dozens of households near two of the country\'s most serious chemical dumping sites of vinyl chloride, benzene and chlorb.
There is concern that through a process known as steam intrusion, contaminants may evaporate into the home through soil and put residents at risk.
In recent years, Medina and other residents, as well as community activists, have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to test whether there is soil steam in their homes.
Their request was made after decades of contaminated soil and groundwater were discovered in the unincorporated community near Torrance, a legacy of the chemical dumping of former Montrose Chemical for decades
At the Del Amo synthetic rubber plant and other industrial sectors that were closed a few years ago, there are Deloitte factories.
Federal officials now agree that indoor air quality testing is urgently needed.
They cited recent scientific studies that show that the breathing of industrial solvents that are often used in the region is more severe than previously thought, including cancer and birth defects
\"We hope this will answer a lot of questions about the community and whether it is really safe to live here,\" said Medina, 30 . \"
Member of the Del Amo Action Committee, annual resident and community group.
The 59-year-old Medina raised four of her children at the job.
A class community of hundreds of families.
She is concerned that her family\'s health is affected by chemicals in the soil, as well as contaminated groundwater about 50 feet underground.
Montrose in its 13-
From 1947 to 1982, dumped from-
Banned pesticides and chlorb, a raw material for the manufacture of pesticides, into ponds, ditches, into underground and underground reservoirs.
The facility also releases chemicals to rainwater passages, sewer systems and the Pacific Ocean.
In 1989, the EPA included the Monterose plant on the Superfund website under 1980 federal law aimed at clearing the country\'s most dangerous dumping sites.
On the site of the large industrial complex Del Amo built during World War II, benzene was used to make synthetic rubber, and chemical waste was dumped in unlined pits and evaporation pools. The U. S.
The government sold 280.
Shell Oil\'s acres
In the 1950 s, it was listed as a Superfund website in 2002.
Federal officials say TCE in groundwater has also moved to the area from other nearby industrial facilities, including Boeing machines.
In addition to the two South Bay locations, federal officials are investigating 18 of the 97 Superfund locations in California.
S. Environmental Protection Agency says several companies use TCE in Silicon Valley to make computer semiconductors. in Southern California, the aerospace industry uses the compound as a metal skim.
EPA spent $48 million to clean up and dispose of chemical waste at the South Bay site, and recovered approximately $31 million from the parties identified as responsible.
The agency has set aside $550,000 for nearby steam intrusion tests and is expected to have results in a few months.
Given the pollution history of the area, Medina said, she did not understand why the EPA did not conduct steam tests faster.
Environmental Protection Bureau officials said they decided to test the air inside the South Bay residence, mainly because the agency conducted 2011 assessments of TCE, which contaminated the area and the National Aquifer.
This review found that inhalation of this chemical has a higher risk of cancer than previously thought, and that exposure three weeks after the first three months of pregnancy can lead to developing fetal heart defects.
Last year, a series of EPA memos made the test of TCE steam a priority, prompting officials to re-examine the super-fund website for the widespread use of pollutants in the region.
Using new, stricter health standards, the agency is speeding up its investigation.
\"The need for sampling is very urgent,\" said John Lyon, acting assistant director of the EPA regional Superfund division.
Another factor that led to the air quality test at the South Bay cleanup point, EPA officials said, was that the data showed contaminated groundwater getting lighter and closer to residents.
More worrying is the recent discovery that levels of TCE and other contaminants are increasing below some households.
Titus Marumoto lives next to an invigilator on West 204 Street, and EPA officials have found an increase in groundwater pollution levels over the past two to three years. Marumoto, a 52-year-
The old carpenter who grew up nearby recently moved back to his late parent\'s house.
He wants to fix the place, but he won\'t do so until he learns about the test results. \"I have my 7-year-
The old grandson who lives here, so I was wondering if she was healthy when she grew up in this environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting air quality tests for about 350 families nearby.
So far, dozens of countries have agreed to take samples.
The agency tests in the winter because people tend to close windows, making it easier to detect steam that may build up in the home or crawl space.
If the test detects a TCE concentration of more than 2 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the EPA guidelines, the agency should take action within a few weeks to reduce health risks.
This may include increasing ventilation, installing air purifiers, sealing cracks at home, or installing devices underground to redirect steam, officials said.
Water above 6 micrograms per cubic meter needs immediate measures and even temporary relocation of residents.
This is not the first time residents near the Del Amo and Montrose sites have faced the prospect of leaving their homes because of pollution.
In the 1990 s Shell purchased and demolished 63 houses nearby after bowling.
Large and small pieces of DDT were found in the soil.
In 2001, the staff was removed.
Along the south Kenwood Avenue, there is dirt on the front of 24 houses, and for decades a trench has been delivering drainage from the Montrose factory.
At that time, Medina and her neighbors posted the slogan \"buy us off.
\"Her concerns have only increased since then.
Although she says she has no evidence, Medina believes that the chemicals on the Superfund website are related to cancer, abortion and other health issues in the community.
She expressed her concerns at the community meeting, collected grocery bags full of documents and sent postcards to the EPA asking for action.
\"I don\'t have a way to move,\" Medina said . \".
\"There are a lot of people in our case, which is sad.
At the same time, according to the consent decree of the state and federal regulators, Montrose completed a $22 building in December --
Million water treatment plants extract and clean the contaminated groundwater in the area and inject it into the aquifer.
However, due to concerns expressed by Medina and other members of the Del Amo Action Committee about whether the water was clean enough to be cleaned again, the system was not launchedinject.
Montrose said in a written statement, \"the treatment system will reduce the size of the groundwater plume and help to remove it from residential areas.
Montrose wants to avoid steam intrusion problems caused by the level of chemicals in groundwater, and believes that the operation of the treatment system should start immediately. \"tony. Balvasa @ latimes.