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NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY
By Mary Jordan Several community residents voiced concerns about the potential effects of the Avtex cleanup on air, water and soil quality during an Avtex Multi-Stakeholders Group meeting held Thursday night at Randolph-Macon Academy. Questions fired off from these residents were shot back with quick answers from representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency, FMC Corp., and the Army Corps of Engineers during a question and answer session held after several presentations on the status of the overall project. Among the biggest concerns raised by residents was a request for a health assessment to be done off-site in nearby residential neighborhoods. "It seems part of the conflict between the EPA and the community is people are experiencing sickness," said resident Maya White Sparks. "What recourse do we have?" Other people in the group said they would like the EPA to perform an off-site air monitoring test. "There is no way you can say this stuff is not harmful," said resident Norma Landicho. EPA representative Fran Burns said the community's health concerns are "legitimate," but added that it is hard to determine whether sicknesses, such as asthma, are related to the Avtex site. EPA Remedial Project Manager Bonnie Gross said she requested that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry perform a health study in 1993. However, the agency replied that it did not have enough evidence to say that the Avtex site is having an effect on people's health. One resident spoke out against the negativity about the project during the meeting. Former Avtex employee Jim Corr said he would not be standing today if the levels of toxic substances were as high as some residents portrayed them. "What is being detected out there now in the worst possible circumstances is just a fraction of what went on there," Corr said. "I'm a living example that we're blowing a lot of these things way out of context." Corr suggested that, instead of being critical of the government agencies working on the cleanup, the community should support them. "The people out there are trying to do a good job." he said. Community resident Trace Noel said he hopes the EPA can answer the concerns of air quality and the requests for air monitoring so that these issues can be put behind them. "I think it's really important that we go forward," he said. |