March 15, 2006

State DEP scrambles to unravel PCB mystery
Ford has less than a month to remove tainted concrete from sites
BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer

With several probes under way to determine how tainted concrete from
the former Ford property was sold to a local developer, answers are
now being sought on how the material left the plant in the first place.

Lisa Jackson, the newly appointed commissioner for the state
Department of Environmental Protection, last week ordered Ford Motor
Co. and its contractors to immediately remove concrete tainted with
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from seven redevelopment sites in
Middlesex, Mercer and Ocean counties.

"In no uncertain terms, we are holding Ford Motor Co. and its
contractors fully accountable for illegally distributing and using
PCB-contaminated concrete at these sites," she said. "Not only will
all potentially hazardous material be removed, we intend to make sure
they follow the strictest environmental controls during those cleanups."

The sites included are the Tingley Rubber Co. site in South
Plainfield; the Applegarth site in Monroe Township; the Fulton Square
site in New Brunswick; the American Standard site in Hamilton Township
and a West Windsor site, both in Mercer County; and the Laurelton
Mobile Home Park and the Brick 70 Plaza site, both in Brick Township
in Ocean County.

Ford was required to submit a plan within seven days for complete
removal and proper disposal of all contaminated concrete transported
to the development sites, and remove all concrete material from each
site within 30 days after the DEP approves each cleanup plan.

A purchase slip provided by developer Edgewood Properties indicates
the concrete was obtained at no cost from the Ford site and sold to
Edgewood Properties. The slip indicates payment, which is zero, to be
made to MIG-Alberici, a Michigan-based company involved in the
demolition of the Ford plant in 2004.

MIG-Alberici planned to reuse the concrete from the site for roads and
other fill projects on the Ford property, according to the DEP.

The DEP also said that in November 2004, MIG-Alberici obtained
approval from the DEP to use the concrete after testing it for
contamination, specifically PCBs, and determined the material to not
have detectable levels at that time.

Edgewood Properties, which is owned by local developer Jack Morris,
issued a statement that said the company had brought crushed concrete
from the site to the Tingley Rubber site. The company was not aware
that material was contaminated above residential and commercial
levels, the state said.

"In fact, Ford advised Edgewood both verbally and in writing that the
material was usable in residential construction and met NJDEP's
unrestricted use criteria," the statement reads. "After the material
was brought to the site, Edgewood discovered that the material
contains PCBs and other contaminants. We immediately notified NJDEP
and Ford Motor Company and have taken all appropriate measures."

Jon Holt, the spokesman for Ford Motor Co., said that Ford had to rely
on the contractor and that they were going to use the concrete fill
and apply it properly, indicating protocol had been established for
testing of concrete to determine what was suitable for certain uses.

"The protocol was discussed with everyone," Holt said.

The material had been categorized into three separate piles, the first
being "non-detect," or nonrestricted, which contained below .49 parts
per million of PCBs. That pile could be used in residential
development, according to DEP standards, he said.

A second pile, Holt said, tested between .49 and two parts per
million, which is allowed for nonresidential use and is usually used
as road fill, which must be capped.

The third pile, tested at over two parts per million of PCBs, must be
taken to a landfill offsite that accepts PCB materials, Holt said.

The Sentinel was unable to obtain the name of the contractor that
separated the concrete piles and tested them by press time.

He said Edgewood Properties brought in their own contractor to crush
up the concrete to be removed.

"They crushed everything there," Holt said. "They went through testing
and the test results came back before they used the material. They
were there crushing test piles. They knew it had to go through the
testing procedure. We followed these parameters - it's up to the
contractor to make sure the material is used in the proper places."

Though the materials in question exceed certain unrestricted use
limits, DEP spokesman Fred Mumford said the tainted crushed concrete
is not hazardous waste.

"It's industrial waste with low levels of contamination," he said.
"There are no immediate health concerns with the material. However,
the standards indicate prolonged exposure could cause future health
concerns."

The materials Ford sold to Edgewood are typically used for road base
in construction projects, Mumford said.

Township Health Official John Grun said he had been first made aware
of any possible tainted concrete in September, when the township
received a phone call from someone expressing concern that material
containing PCBs had been shipped from the Ford plant to other sites.

"It was something that had allegedly left the Ford plant already. It
was a rumor," he said. "At that point, since that's all it was, we
talked to the DEP case manager and people at Ford, and wrote a letter
to Ford about the situation."

Grun said no testing was done on the site by Edison Township.

"We didn't have any real basis to do tests at that point," he said.
"It was a rumor, and the DEP is in charge of this situation in terms
of cleanup and oversight, and they were made aware of it."

Mayor Jun Choi said the focus now for Edison Township is on how the
subcontractors and other construction companies took the contaminated
soil and concrete, and how it was distributed.

"We're still waiting reports back from Ford and DEP on how this
happened in the first place," he said. "We've reviewed this every
which way. There's no immediate health hazard that proves to be
evidence-based."

Choi said Ford has been requested by the township to hold a public
meeting once facts have been gathered "so we know exactly what
happened and know what the impact of local community is."

Another public meeting has been scheduled by Sen. Barbara Buono, which
will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Pines Manor on Route 27.

Choi said estimates from Ford indicate about 90,000 to 100,000 tons of
demolished debris remain at the site and that the covering of the
debris with tarp to prevent dust from spreading is being taken as a
precautionary extra step.

"Ford is complying with orders to get the material all tarped as an
extra safety measure," Grun said. "If there is anything there, it's
very low-risk to anybody. But, we are taking it seriously."

Colleen Lutolf contributed to this repo