EPA is requiring that the state upgrade the landfill's leachate removal system. The agency is also conducting its own investigation on whether the landfill is leaking. But Dr. Hirschhorn has another opinion. How unsafe, he added, is a tough question. In addition to PCBs, we have found Dioxins in a couple of monitoring wells near the landfill.
Dioxins are chemicals viewed as even more toxic than PCBs.
In Dr. Hirschhorn's view, there are a couple of choices in this scenario. The state can use technology to detoxify the landfill completely and make it safe, which is what the Working Group is pushing for. There are technologies today that did not exist before. Or the state can take a cheaper route, making some repairs such as putting in a new top liner or pumping the water out. We are getting cost estimates, and expect it will cost between 20 to 30 million dollars to detoxify the landfill.