Asbestos testing required at former arsenal building siteWatertown, Massachusetts - "The contaminated area was used as a staging facility for the tailings and leftover metals from making armor-piercing rounds," explained Ellen Iorio, project manager for Army Corps of Engineers.
"The rounds were made of spent uranium, so the tailings were transported to the site in oil and then burned to stabilize them...Our first step is to do soil testing, to see what kinds of contaminants are in the soil and how deep they go. After that, we will begin feasibility studies to determine the best course for cleaning the soil and preparing it for passive recreational use."
Possible soil contaminants at the site are believed to include PCBs, lead, and asbestos, a material linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms. This aggressive cancer may ultimately kill patients within just a few months of being diagnosed.
"We want and need a clean site before we do anything. Getting us a clean site is the Army's job," said Department of Conservation and Recreation director Rick Sullivan.
