There's a lot less property in the northtowns contaminated by Tonawanda Coke than expected, according to a new study conducted by University at Buffalo and SUNY Fredonia chemists.
Tonawanda Coke was a notorious polluter, ruled that way in federal court. It eventually closed, but the plant was in an industrial area in the Town and City of Tonawanda and upwind from a section of Grand Island, near the I-190 with its exhaust fumes.
The UB team has now finished a two-year soil study and is well along on a 10-year health study of the effect of the coke plant and others, like a former coal-burning power plant across the road. The team is headed by SUNY Distinguished Chemistry Professor Joseph Gardella.
Tonawanda Coke Soil Study by Marian on Scribd
During a webinar Thursday evening, Gardella said the study had marching orders from Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mango.
"We set out to help the Tonawanda and Grand Island communities evaluate and understand the effects that other pollutants have on residents and their property," Gardella said. "Mr. Mango emphasized the need to identify the historic impact of soil pollution due to Tonawanda Coke."
Researchers analyzed 350 soil samples from the Tonawandas, Grand Island, Kenmore and Buffalo, but say they can't be absolutely certain about their findings because there were so many polluting industries in that industrial area.
"How do we determine if there are multiple sources, such as gasoline, car engines or barbecues, even smoking a pack of cigarettes," said Research Chemistry Assistant professor Tammy Milillo. "How do we determine what percentage of the contamination found is attributed to Tonawanda Coke, which was what we were ordered to do by the judge?"
Gardella said the relatively small number of landowners whose soil was probably contaminated by Tonawanda Coke will be notified. They are located in small areas of the City and Town of Tonawanda.
Areas near two Grand Island schools were found to be contaminated during soil testing for the study, although it turned out to be unrelated to Tonawanda Coke. From whom remains the issue.
"There were some high levels of arsenic at two of the schools that we sampled," Milillo said. "We spoke to the Department of Health, as well as the school board, and they had determined that this high level of arsenic was as a result of around a playground and a parking lot where railroad ties had been used to define the boundary of the area."
