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Produce Irrigated With Tainted Water May Be Hazardous, Expert Says
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Published: May 23, 2008
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People living near a Raytheon plant in St. Petersburg could be at an increased risk for cancer if they irrigated fruits and vegetables with water from tainted wells, according to an environmental expert.
About 700 irrigation wells are within a mile of the plant at 1501 72nd St. N. No threat to drinking water has been identified.
However, tests have shown eight homes near the plant have contaminated irrigation wells. The Department of Environmental Protection, which initially said there was no risk to human health, now says the health risk is unclear.
Jeffrey Cunningham, an environmental science professor at the University of South Florida, plugged the known test results into a formula state health officials use for determining potential health risks. Cunningham performed the calculation at the request of News Channel 8.
Although Cunningham said the formula is built on assumptions he has no way to analyze, his effort predicts the highest cancer risk for people who irrigate fruits and vegetables for later consumption using water from tainted wells.
The risk is somewhere between a one-in-a-million and nine-in-a-million increased chance, Cunningham said.
"It's a little bit higher than what the EPA might generally consider to be safe or acceptable," he said. "It's not way higher, but it's a little higher than what you might characterize as acceptable risk."
The state Department of Environmental Protection expects to receive a final assessment report from Raytheon Network Centric Systems on the extent of the groundwater pollution by May 30. A cleanup plan is due 90 days after that.
A handwritten document from an Aug. 12, 1999, meeting between the state Department of Environmental Protection and Raytheon officials makes reference to chemicals, including 1,4-Dioxane, moving offsite from the plant to the west-southwest.
The agency sent notices of contamination in 2005 to two residential complexes: Brandywine Apartments and Stone's Throw Condominiums. The agency also notified the city, but no homeowners.
Residents west-southwest of the Tyrone Square mall area didn't learn about the contaminated groundwater beneath their homes, parks and playgrounds until March from news reports.
Tampa Tribune reporter Valerie Kalfrin and information from Tribune archives contributed to this report. News Channel 8 reporter Mark Douglas can be reached at (727) 536-9603 or mdouglas@wfla.com.
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Posted by ( Oops ) on May 24, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
nine grafs into the article to find out the name of the alleged cancer-causing chemical...
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