[CPEO-BIF] WearEver site, Chillicothe, Ohio

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

WearEver site remains a contaminated concern for Ohio EPA

BY JAY SALLEY
Scioto Valley Guardian
January 13, 2025

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues its oversight of the former WearEver Aluminum Co. site in Chillicothe, urging Howmet Aerospace—the current property owner—to take additional action to address contamination stemming from decades of industrial operations. Once a pillar of the local economy, the site now represents a sobering example of the environmental and health impacts of industrial pollution in small-town America.

Established in 1948, WearEver Aluminum Co. was a major employer in Chillicothe, producing cookware for millions of American households. However, the plant’s success came at a steep environmental cost. Hazardous chemicals such as trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, vinyl chloride, lead, and cadmium contaminated the site during its operations. Many of these substances, classified as carcinogens, pose serious risks to human health, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The extent of the contamination only came to light after the plant closed in the late 1990s. An EPA investigation, prompted by a 1986 report highlighting groundwater pollution, revealed a TCE-contaminated plume spreading toward the Scioto River and residential areas near Chillicothe’s wastewater treatment plant. Decades later, the pollution continues to haunt the community.

…

For the entire article, see
https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/2025/01/13/wearever-site-remains-contaminated-concern-for-ohio-epa/


—

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)

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