"About 25% of the buildings have been tested, and that is unacceptable. When there is testing completed, we can evaluate with high interval of certainty whether people working or residing in building are at a public health risk. The testing is mostly not mandatory, with many landlords ignoring the push for it because of the stigma of having a contaminated property."
"This is someone who fully understands the facts and is choosing ignorance. It's incredibly disappointing and dangerous. The EPA can enforce testing in special cases, for example, if a tenant is pregnant. Government investigators have blamed the area's industrial past for hazardous solvent dumping that led to the contamination."
A Superfund site spanning 45 blocks in Brooklyn's Greenpoint and East Williamsburg neighborhoods contains hazardous solvent contamination from the area's industrial past, including dry cleaners, metal foundries, and steel drum recycling facilities. Despite free EPA air testing availability since the site's 2022 designation, only approximately 260 of 1,000 properties have been tested. City Councilman Lincoln Restler attributes the low testing rate to landlords' concerns about property stigma and declining values, particularly problematic given the area's recent 43% rent increase. Testing remains largely voluntary, allowing property owners to avoid participation despite potential public health risks to residents and workers. The EPA can mandate testing only in specific circumstances, such as when tenants are pregnant.
#superfund-site-contamination #environmental-health-risk #property-owner-liability #brooklyn-greenpoint-williamsburg
Read at New York Post
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