Toxic waste still plagues American communities 27 years after the U.S. Government created the Superfund program to clean up the nation's most polluted sites. After 22 years, a toxic site in Flowood, Mississippi makes EPA's final list for cleanup.
In 1985 WLBT News revealed problems associated with Sonford Products in Flowood. A six acre site where two separate chemical processing plants operated. On the land, workers broke up 2-thousand pound solid blocks and mixed a toxic cocktail of Pentaclorophenol for 17 years. PCP is a wood preservative and pesticide linked to cancer and other fatal diseases.
Records show, in 1980 the Sonford International plant was closed due to allegations this worker died from poisoning due to exposure to high levels of PCP. The victim; 33 year old Calvin Brown. In 1985 his mother talked with us about her son. "I never dreamed penta was as dangerous as it was until I lost my son." Other workers also came down with strange illnesses. In 1985 Evelyn Freels wife recalled her husband's illness after working at the plant. "His breath when he kissed me smelled like the chemicals. Even when he took his shower you could smell the chemicals." As WLBT first reported, Sonford required little or no protection for it's employees.
In 1985 Sonford Products illegally mixed an explosive chemical concoction, a toxic cloud of fumes was released there were injuries, people were evacuated. The company was fined by the Federal government. Our investigative reports revealed an even more disturbing 2-thousand gallon PCP spill. That's when the Fed's took over cleanup from state.
Now 22 years later little has changed. With one glaring exception. A waste water business operates on the site. Even more worrisome the EPA notes that the a worker for the business is housed on the property. When we contacted the person living there, she said she was never informed she lived on an EPA Superfund site. She did not want her identity revealed. Trucks come and go over the tracks to a new work site. One driver who also refused to be identified told us, he doesn't worry about the chemical dumping ground. "I honestly feel that if the EPA thought it was that much of a problem, that they wouldn't allow anybody to be out here." Melissa Gammill is among a handful of residents that cluster within yards of the waste site. She's spent her life on Payne Drive. Now she worries about her surroundings. "The site concerns me. Yes, it gave me migraine headaches as a child. My mother died of lupus from what they say, according to Gammill. Her daughter also suffers a disorder but Gammill does not think her illness has any connection to the Sonford Plant site.
On April 26, 1985, EPA issued a unilateral administrative order to Sonford Products to address the release. Cleanup efforts included the removal of approximately 2,500 cub-yards of contaminated soils; the disposal of more than 10,000 gallons of oil and treating solution; and the treatment and disposal of existing wastewater (approximately 100,000 gallons). A March 2007 EPA document regarding the National Priorities List (NPL) indicates PCP, Dioxin, lead and other chemicals may still contaminate some of the dirt, subsurface soil even wetlands surrounding this area. The report read, the wetlands directly south of the Sonford Products property are contaminated with elevated concentrations of Lindane and lead in surface water and arsenic, Lead, PCP, Lindane, Toxaphene, Dioxin and Dibenzofurans in sediments.
Only recently, after two decades, the Sonford site is placed on EPA's final Superfund National Priorities List. The National Priorities List (NPL) is the Environmental Protection Agencies list of toxic waste sites that the agency has determined present "a significant risk to human health or the environment," and are eligible for cleanup under the Superfund program.
In November of 2006 EPA sent a letter to Stakeholders. In part it read, The United States Environmental Protection Agency is sending you the attached "Superfund Fact Sheet" because you are either a resident or registered owner of real property within a mile radius of the Sonford Products Superfund Site located at 3506 Payne Drive. The fact sheet contains information useful for you to understand the history of the site and what recent changes prompted a Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection (PA/SI). A public meeting was held November 3, 2006 in Flowood. It encouraged citizens to become more involved with the Superfund process.
The last residential sampling was in May on parcels of land east of the railroad, adjacent to the site we are told. The data is being analyzed and is not final. If high levels of contaminates above the safe number are discovered there will be another public forum and individual meetings. The next step; a proposed plan for cleanup. WLBT News requested an interview with a representative of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Qaulity. Robbie Wilber a spokesman said " After conferring with our agency and EPA Region 4 staff in Atlanta, we believe EPA should have the lead in any interviews. They are managing the project and can provide the most accurate and updated information to the public."
A Region 4, EPA spokeswoman in Atlanta told us they continue collecting soil and ground water samples. The agency continues to evaluate potential remedial options. But cleaning up the mess is a long term project. For the short term, folks living around here wait for the day neighborhood children can run around barefoot, truly care free.
According to EPA documents, the final priorities list is made up of the most serious sites across the country tagged for possible long-term clean up. An EPA spokeswoman says crews will likely be back at the Flowood site for more testing in the next few weeks. We will continue to follow the developments.
Currently the following locations on their NPL Sites in Mississippi. American Creosote Works, Inc in Louisville; Chemfax, Inc. in Gulfport; Davis Timber Company in Hattiesburg; Picayune Wood Treating Site in Picayune; Potter Company in Wesson; Sonford Products in Flowood.