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The Northern Virginia Daily
Article date: February 08, 2008
Avtex asbestos cleanup halted due to
possibility of new regulations
By: Jessica Coleman
Field work at the Avtex Superfund site will not be
completed in 2008 due to a possible change in asbestos
regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to
the site manager for FMC Corp., John Torrence.
FMC, which formerly owned the plant that produced
rayon and other synthetics from 1940 to 1989, is leading the
cleanup assisted by the EPA.
Avtex was declared a Superfund site in 1986.
At the end of 2007, Torrence had expressed a belief
that all field work at Avtex could be completed by the end of
this year. However,
since Torrence became aware of the possibility of an impending
change to the regulations concerning asbestos, the work in the
area of the site affected by that material has been halted for
the time being.
“I don’t know if they’ll be more stringent or not,’
he said. “I think
the monitoring of air might be affected, but I have absolutely
no idea what the regulations will be in the future.”
He said it just doesn’t make sense to have to clean
up the area twice, once with the current regulation and again if
the regulations are changed.
Despite the inconvenience, Torrence applauded the
lines of communication between FMC and EPA.
“I think the real good news story here is the
communication that’s taking place,” he said.
“The EPA and FMC communicate regularly, and the fact that
they gave FMC a heads-up and said,
‘Hey, before you get out in the field and do some work,
here’s a heads-up.
We don’t know if the regs are going to change, they might not
change at all, but we don’t want you to do work and then have to
redo work,”’
However, Torrence said he is unsure of exactly what
the regulation change will entail if there is a change at all.
It could be only a change to a guidance document or a method of
monitoring, he said.
“We don’t know, so we’re going to play it safe and
leave the dirt alone until we can do it right the first time,”
Torrence said.
The seven 100- square foot grids in the center of
the site that are affected by asbestos are surrounded by yellow
police tape. FMC is
simply biding its time and steering the work away from that area
until the cleanup can begin.
“When we’re ready to go, when we’re given the green
light, we’ll get out there and clean it up,” Torrence said.
“We’re just going to leave it alone until we have a good
game plan.”
And although these possible new regulations have
meant a delay in the field work at Avtex, Torrence said it is
all part of making sure the work at the Superfund site is done
right.
“The bottom line is this: When we’re done with our
work this will be a healthy place to work” Torrence said.
“It will be protective of human health to the highest
degree possible and protective of the environment to the highest
degree possible. So
even if this delay takes a month or a year or whatever it may
be, the bottom line is the protection of the human beings that
live in our community and the environment.
That’s our number one objective.”
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