Some of the chemicals found in homes near Fort Gillem:
Tricholorethylene: Also known as TCE, this is considered the most troubling of the chemicals detected. The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have both said there is convincing evidence that exposure can cause kidney cancer. There are also some links to liver cancer. TCE is a solvent used to degrease metal parts and is also used as an ingredient in some other chemicals.
Tetracholoroethylene: Exposure to very high levels can cause can cause dizziness, headaches, sleepiness, nausea and even death. Widely used in dry cleaning , it is also frequently a solvent to remove grease from metal parts. The colorless liquid has an odor at certain levels and is commonly referred to as PCE or perc. EPA considers it a likely carcinogen.
Trimethlybenzene: Occurs naturally in coal tar and petroleum crude oil. Exposure often takes place when people use gasoline, certain paints or cleaners. Breathing large amounts of the vapor can result in headaches, fatigue and drowsiness and irritates the nose and throat. Prolonged contact may irritate the skin.
Source: Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Environmental Protection Agency
Months after discovering toxic vapors at homes near Fort Gillem south of Atlanta, the U.S. Army is taking steps to install air filtration systems in 22 homes and a daycare center.
Military officials contend they’re committed to cleaning up their mess if it’s shown that chemicals and solvents dumped on the base for decades have migrated into the air residents breathe. At least one of the chemicals found in the homes —tricholorethylene or TCE — is a human carcinogen also linked to cardiac defects in the fetuses of pregnant women.
The cleanup at Fort Gillem and the surrounding neighborhood has been dragging on for years and some argue the Army is still moving far too slowly to ensure the health and safety of residents.
At least 52 homes recorded high enough levels of toxic fumes to require mitigation under the agreement between the Army and state environmental officials, according to state records reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Army is conducting a second round of testing for many of the residences before moving forward to install the promised ventilation systems in the remaining homes.
“The more I know about this, the more frustrated I become,” said Allen McKinley, who has lived in his home near the base for 28 years. “The fact that they knew about this decades ago and this is only happening now? That bothers me.”
Documents reviewed by the AJC show McKinley’s home registered high levels of tetracholoroethylene — also known as perc or PCE — a chemical widely found in dry-cleaning but also used for degreasing metal parts. Federal regulators consider it a likely human carcinogen. It’s been linked to short-term problems with the central nervous system such as dizziness, headache, sleepiness, lightheadedness and poor balance.
McKinley said he wants the Army to install a ventilation system now, but he’s been told to wait for more tests.
Army officials say additional investigation is needed to get a better understand if the vapors are coming from Fort Gillem pollution or from some other source, like cleaning products, motor oil or even the nearby airport.
“We’ll go where the science leads us,” Army spokesman Michael Brady said in an interview. “And if it is coming from us we will make it right.”
The Army in November installed a full ventilation system in a day care center near the base. The 22 homes will each receive two carbon filter units.
It’s a good temporary step,” said Bert Langley, compliance director at the state Environmental Protection Division. “But we’re not sure it will be permanent. More could be needed.”
Experts suggest two rounds of tests — one in warmer weather and the other in cold — are required to get the most accurate reading. Lenny Siegel, executive director of the California-based Center for Public Environmental Oversight who has worked on various vapor intrusion sites recently spent time in the Atlanta area helping educate residents near Gillem and speaking with environmental officials.
“It’s plausible that it (the toxic chemicals) could be coming from something else,” he said. “But all the evidence so far suggests otherwise.”
High readings have been detected in crawl spaces beneath homes, suggesting the chemicals are rising from the soil. Additionally, Siegel said, the Army hasn’t specifically identified an alternative source that could be the cause of the toxic readings.
Conflicting communication from state and federal environmental agencies has also added to the confusion over what should be done.
Chad Partin, who lives in the affected area, said he was told by the Army that his home was fine, then received a letter from the state saying that his home was in the group that could require mitigation.
“I don’t know what to believe,” Partin told the AJC. Until he gets clarification Partin said his 4-year-old son is staying part of the week with his wife at his mother-in-law’s home in Newnan.
“Maybe it’s an overreaction but I’d rather be sure,” he said.
The bickering over what to do with the pollution at Fort Gillem bubbled over in the fall. Warning of an imminent danger to human health, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an order telling the Army to move more quickly testing homes and providing help to those where risky levels of chemicals were detected.
The AJC began reporting on environmental problems at Fort Gillem last year. The EPA at the time was weighing whether to make the base a Superfund site, a designation that would place it on a list for federal funds earmarked for the cleanup of toxic waste. But it backed off that threat as the state and military officials appeared to make progress in cleanup efforts. A Superfund designation would have effectively halted redevelopment moves at the largely abandoned base in Clayton County.
Residents have long been warned not to drink the well water and the Army, at one point, passed out bottled water. State officials this summer finally convinced the military to conduct vapor intrusion studies to see if the chemicals had moved from the groundwater into the air residents breathe.
The initial results have been alarming. The most common chemical detected in the homes is Trimethylbenzene, a volatile organic compound used as an additive in aviation fuel and gasoline. Acute exposure can lead to headaches and dizziness.
But the presence of TCE is even more worrisome. The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the EPA have both said there is convincing evidence that exposure to the colorless, volatile liquid can cause kidney cancer.
If the EPA and the Army fail to act, legal action could be forthcoming. The executive director of Greenlaw, an Atlanta-based nonprofit environmental law group, said national groups have expressed interest in suing to get the site cleaned up.
About the Author
