Representatives from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will be in Providence this week to discuss the agency’s work looking into health concerns at the Gorham Manufacturing facility site.
The federal agency most recently looked at Parcel C of the site, which was sectioned into four parts. ATSDR did not find enough available information to determine if chemicals on Parcel C could affect people’s health. The agency completed an assessment of Parcel B in 2006 and recommended strategies to mitigate exposure concerns, and next plans to look at Parcels A and D. The site is located on Adelaide Avenue in Providence.
Even though investigations found elevated levels of contaminants in groundwater, soil, and soil vapor beneath Parcel C, most data collected are at least seven years old, leaving some uncertainties about the nature and extent of contamination today. Contaminants found at the site include volatile organic compounds, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and methane.
ATSDR will hold a community meeting on Monday, August 30, 2010 from 7-9 p.m. at the Renaissance Church (behind Popeye’s off Reservoir Ave.), 77 Reservoir Avenue, Providence, RI, to discuss the findings and its ongoing work at the facility.
Community members are invited to ask questions and talk one-on-one with representatives from ATSDR, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), the Rhode Island Department of Health, Textron Corporation and the City of Providence.
Parcel C is an undeveloped 5-acre portion of land in the western part of the Gorham site. The City of Providence owns Parcel C. The YMCA of Greater Providence holds a long-term lease for Parcel C, but no remediation or construction has occurred on this parcel and there are currently no plans to develop it.
ATSDR recommends identifying contaminant sources to determine the nature and extent of the contamination on Parcel C. When sources are identified, and development plans determined, ATSDR recommends assessing possible chemical exposure and public health hazards.
The Parcel C report can be found online at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/ParcelCakaFormerGorhamSite/ParcelCAKAFormerGorhamSite8-11-09.pdf
The Parcel B report is at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/ProvidenceHighSchoolParcelB(Former%20Gorham)/ProvidenceHighSchoolParcelB-HC120406.pdf.
For more information, community members may contact: