Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently announced that the BoRit asbestos site in Ambler, Pennsylvania has been added to the Superfund National Priority List (NPL).
According to the EPA, the NPL is a “national list of sites where hazardous contaminants could impact public health and/or the environment.” Once a site has been investigated by the EPA, the agency begins cleaning up the contaminated area as funds and time allows.
To date, more than 1,500 sites have been added to the NPL. These sites may be contaminated with toxins such as arsenic, chromium, copper, cyanide, lead, mercury, sulfuric acid and asbestos. Though all of these substances can pose a serious health risk, asbestos is one of the largest concerns for Superfund sites.
Exposure to asbestos can cause a number of illnesses including the rare cancer mesothelioma. A mesothelioma diagnosis may not be determined until several decades after the exposure occurred, as the latency period associated with the disease can last for 20 to 50 years. The mesothelioma survival rate for patients is usually less than one year.
The BoRit site was first proposed for the NPL in September 2008. Throughout its history, the site was primarily used as an area to dump asbestos-containing materials from a nearby asbestos-manufacturing plant.
Asbestos fibers at the site have been found in the soil, surface water and air samples taken by the EPA. The site is currently divided into three parcels, including an asbestos waste pile, a reservoir owned by Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve and a playground owned by Whitpain Township.
The asbestos waste pile covers nearly two acres of land and is about 20 feet above ground level. The berm (a narrow ledge) of the 15-acre reservoir is constructed of asbestos shingles, millboard and soil. In addition, visible asbestos-contaminated pipes and tiles surround the reservoir and stream banks.
Another area, which covers approximately 11 acres, is a depression that was previously filled and leveled. This particular location was used as a playground and was eventually closed off by fencing during the 1980s.
Although the asbestos contamination at the site is dangerous, a nearby creek remains a popular fishing destination for local patrons. The site has been added to the NPL largely because the nearby residential population may be at risk of airborne asbestos fibers.
Additional information about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.










