1HJgherrttte of ills ~ear-~

Siudy uncertain on link to closed

--plant middotin LoweD By aut Cblnlund l(lo I~ laquo-i Globe Staff

LOWELL- AJthauampb ~ta near the defunct Sllrelm ChemleaJ Corp plant bave not euftered unually high rata fl eancer or reproductive problema they -have expei1enced mere than their ahare of a variety flather aenoua albnenta acshymiddotcardlng to a lltate-eponaored atudy reshyleued terclay

Reaplratory dlftlcultlea fatigUe bowel I dyafuneuon and --cbe8 were among

the dtacomfarta reported ampDICIDC naldenta who 11ft Within ~ mOe fl the abandoned chemical plant abut down by

middot the lltate In 1978 Children living In the middot area were found to have a hlp thanI normal rate or bronchltla and aore middot thmata

But the atudy done for the atate by Dr DaVId OziDnafr tl the Baaton Untventty School fl Public Health did not conclumiddot avely link thoae health problema to conmiddot tamfnaUon rram the Sdrealm ate - aomeshytbtng that Irritated realdenta who eame to City HaD Jut nfCilt to previeW the atudya ~middot Many rsldenta who related hla- middot tor1ea fl family mne bave Jaag blanwd SOrealm for their problema

We bave pe tbrouamph allYing llfamphlmiddot mare that no one can be to 101middot 8ampJd rsldent Narlne Danley

Oanduded the atudy ftte ~ bull middot nmalna whether expaaremiddot to ehemlcala

fromtbe llte the eauae for thla apparent lncreaee In health problema amoot adulta and cblldren bull Wblle

middot etw-iCal em ampa tbe Idle are deshymiddot-~~~e tbey are at aricxbpoely ~ levmiddot middot ~ J middot ~v~-middot middotmiddot _middot

Ollanaftaald ID IPin Ilia tbe taltb pielbleiM clnnunentld In ue lltudJ are -~middot by from -- plant lltudy eataemelyJmpartaat qudiUana about tbe health efmiddot feda fl WIJ - tl chemlcala he8ampJd f ~~ atudy wulnaJndualve eald Omn-

tOXiC~ite

alf baauemiddot there ta nlf~ fl adenttftcWilli to aupport the paeatblllty that ~ -uwe tltb eftecta found among reatmiddot drDb cauld be caullllJ1 aucb low Jevela of

Imiddot~-===til=~ tn anawerlmiddotnl que~ttona about their Malt~(middot that atr tDanltorUc -la ~

libpound-eerrect But tmiddott middota ~j uid~ middotOarnaft bull middot~tdy 1loO ~ who live nir tbe Sllralm ate - on Tanner atreet 1n the Aytr lttty aecUon fl Lowell - were Iln~~t their ~lth rot the

LOWELL l6 bull bull I

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Htl middot zm H(1 (IH -43 0 ])() -I I Hrrl lt3 ITIH

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~r raie of illuta middot found near Lowell site~

I ~ middot I

~~~-~1al2~~~ middot~ middot middot middotetudy 1beJ were dtparect

to another SOD famllle8 who Hte onHialf to three-qaarten ria mtle away_r~ the lite The- tntemen which eomplled JnfbrmaUon on aishyIIIICIIl2000 adults and 1100 elllldren were Clone lut winter aachprtnt middot middotmiddot middot middot middot ror ftllldenta near the lite ttabull mmshy~tned rl a-lth pnlblerna Lut nftbt ~I oUtlined their faadlle8 dine 1he tatbony CJIDaJonally ellllltlaiilal u three mothlndeshytalkid the ~ratOry problems euftered bJ their ehlldren Danley bulllei abe hu 1oet three ebll- middotdren one eoon after birth and two In IDIIciar- 1

bull bull ~ I t

~~_lnt the ate to plek up the i middotClllet for~ rllhelr lllfJIIIeal 1111 One rl them 1

Rita Plnaril bulllei abe IUD hu MOOD In medleal ~~~~~~ mae- that perllllcl Until her rambull I

lly IIIOftll fnlm the Sdralm area She ~lei lhe 1

a no doubt that theprobleme ~ ~~rela_ CIOntamlnatlon from the plant or

81Me we mowed outbull we have had not one ear Infection not one cold not one cue rlblefd-bull tng no brancltiU alp abe told Gerald Park~ aulatant eommlulonermiddot for environmental health aervlclee In the Department rl PubliC

middot Health and Thomu MdouamphllnmiddotdepUty eamshymlllloner rl the pepallmJnt fll Environmental middot Quality~ who attended themeeting

Tell me lhata eolneldence abe -lei -middot Parker wiDedepartment eammllaloned thr

ltulty bulllei he Iaattempting to Ond 111011eJ to aktbull the rdldenta B~Jt ao rarlle ealdhe au had nc1 1

luck middot middot ~~ The Sllrealm Olemteal Corpwaa In bullnf118middotmiddot

on a Ovelaquore lite In~ from 1971 -when ~ middotarted IIICialmllll toxic wutea under a tatemiddot permit~ unUI1917 when It dedared bankrupt-

cy and abandoned the lite middot n Tbe ClOIIlpaiiJ left behln4 30000 deeaylnCa

lilnunlaad aneraJ aaree~~ora~e tanlrt contalft~ 1ng chemleal U WUte olla aolvelita _ ClOIItaiDIDa heavy metala _ middot 1be lite lain ~ lndullrla1 area aboulallliJe aouth rl Lowellbull central bualneas district Uldi middotabout Une-tentha laquo bull mile from aevera1 ftit dentlal areu middot ____ 1~ Lul JIUbull the tJS EnvtronllllllUUIIOUClloQ ~Ateney Remedial Rellpone Program ilall tn a National Prlorlllel LIIISite report Ground---~

middotIter flowa lllleldY to the northeMt ton~ MeMow Bluok whleh dral lnte the Werrt

bullmack Riter the IIIUftle rlwatel- forLA~ surface water contalnlnlwlaUJe 9111 ~ I~ lllddel and ~ (roai~~ middotmiddotillite ontotwo or poallblymiddotthree ~t~

tiel SOiltaatmllarly contaadnaieil A~ odor preeent and ted by bat~~~ mid weaurmiddotbull middot middot middot

It wu ten tO the ate to elean up the abandOned by the opera- By 1ut ~- the~ been rancrted

lHJ)OH 3r H(J ZITl H(f) (f)H -f3 AI lgt() -fI HITl lt3 ITH

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I

I I I

UNITID ITATU INVIRONMINTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION I

J F KENNEDY FEDERAL IUILOINO IOITON MASSACHU811T8 Ga03

January 20 1984

Chris Chinlund Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Boulevard Boston MA 02107

Dear Chris

I read with interest your piece in the Globe January 20 about the health study report in Lowell and I thought you handled the delicate subject very skillfully

However I wish you had checked your clips on Silresim before writingthe final paragraph bullIt was left to the state to clean up the site abandoned by the operators By last December the waste had been reshymovedbull ~

EPA has spent over half a million dollars cleaning up and securing Silresim in addition to about $3 million spent previously by the Commonwealth EPA dismantled buildings and equipment last year and is now in the process of laying down a gravel and clay cap This Agency has committed a total of $12 million including the allocation of funds for field studies leading to a long-term solution

If you get another shot at the story I would appreciate your settingthe record straight The Globe continues to cover the environmental scene in depth and the reporting is balanced

Sincerely

David Pickman Acting Director Office of Public Affairs

1. barcode 569524
2. barcodetext SDMS Doc ID 569524

I

I I I

UNITID ITATU INVIRONMINTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION I

J F KENNEDY FEDERAL IUILOINO IOITON MASSACHU811T8 Ga03

January 20 1984

Chris Chinlund Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Boulevard Boston MA 02107

Dear Chris

I read with interest your piece in the Globe January 20 about the health study report in Lowell and I thought you handled the delicate subject very skillfully

However I wish you had checked your clips on Silresim before writingthe final paragraph bullIt was left to the state to clean up the site abandoned by the operators By last December the waste had been reshymovedbull ~

EPA has spent over half a million dollars cleaning up and securing Silresim in addition to about $3 million spent previously by the Commonwealth EPA dismantled buildings and equipment last year and is now in the process of laying down a gravel and clay cap This Agency has committed a total of $12 million including the allocation of funds for field studies leading to a long-term solution

If you get another shot at the story I would appreciate your settingthe record straight The Globe continues to cover the environmental scene in depth and the reporting is balanced

Sincerely

David Pickman Acting Director Office of Public Affairs

1. barcode 569524
2. barcodetext SDMS Doc ID 569524