[CPEO-MEF] VOCs: Ft. Detrick investigation

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The Kristen Renee Foundation
Press Release
July 9, 2010


The Kristen Renee Foundation Continues to Fight for Frederick, MD for 
Answers from the EPA and Fort Detrick Just Days Before the Scheduled 
Town Hall Meeting and BBQ

"Fighting for Frederick; Our City, Our Health," the local campaign set 
out to fight for city residents, continues to fight for answers from the 
EPA and Fort Detrick just days before the scheduled Town Hall Meeting 
and BBQ.




The Kristen Renee Foundation has launched a campaign to research and 
investigate the findings associated with Fort Detrick Area B 
Groundwater. In April 2009 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
added Fort Detrick Area B Groundwater to the National Priority List 
(NPL) based on tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) 
detections in offsite drinking wells. The Agency for Toxic Substances 
and Disease Registry (ATSDR) confirmed residential areas located next to 
Fort Detrick had traces of these chemicals and were highly contaminated 
for years. Area B was initially established as a proving ground for the 
Army's biological weapons program (circa 1946; test grid area). Area B 
was also used for buried disposal of a number of contaminants including 
biological materials, test animal carcasses, radiological tracer 
materials, phosgene cylinders, and drums containing organic solvents 
(TCE, PCE, etc.).

This past week, just days after the unannounced meeting at Fort Detrick, 
Kristen Renee Foundation leaders, and the EPA held a conference call to 
discuss the issues at hand and to see exactly what the EPA was doing to 
help the past, present, and future generations that may be affected by 
Fort Derrick's Area B Ground Water and Vapor Intrusion. The processes 
that will take place now that the EPA has stepped in will take over a 
year to gain any further knowledge on the area in and around the 
surrounding area of Fort Detrick. The EPA will run tests on both the 
soil, and water in the area to search for traces of TCE, PCE, etc to see 
if it tests positive. Areas that test positive will be provided with 
help from the EPA and the government according to EPA officials. The 
questions that still remain are what happens to those that were affected 
by Fort Detrick prior to being placed on the National Priority List in 
2009. According to the EPA, that is dependent on the State of Maryland. 
The State of Maryland took the 1994 positive test results into their own 
hands; the EPA was only used as consultants and certain tests and 
knowledge the state did not have access to at that time. The citizens of 
the Frederick area still have unanswered questions, the EPA will not 
have answers for another year, the past generations who were affected 
are in the State of Maryland's hands, and the future generations only 
have the support of the Kristen Renee Foundation at this time since Fort 
Detrick does not announce the community meetings (Restoration Advisory 
Board Meetings) relating to Area B. To listen to the entire EPA 
conference call please visit http://www.fightingforfrederick.org.

...

For the entire release, see
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/the-kristen-renee-foundation-continues-to-fight-for-frederick-md-for-answers-from-the-epa-and-fort-deterick-just-days-before-the-scheduled-town-hall-meeting-and-bbq-160243.php

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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