Mary McDavid
Superfund is an organization that provides funds to the EPA to help restore and remove harmful substances from areas that have been polluted (What is superfund? 2018). Superfund also seeks out environmental justice by exposing the wrongdoers of these contaminated sites and demanding that they take financial responsibility. Superfund looks to preserve human and environmental health; demand responsibility for environmental injustice; evoke community engagement in their projects; and lastly, restore polluted areas in to usable places once more (What is superfund? 2018). One example of Superfund’s efforts to restore once-damaged areas can be seen in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
In June 1986, a twenty-five acre swath of land located in Ambler, Pennsylvania was added to the Superfund Program’s National Priority List due to dangerously high levels asbestos found on the site (AMBLER asbestos Piles site 2017). For approximately sixty years, various companies disposed of their waste (much of which contained asbestos) which then resulted in the surrounding air, water, and soil being contaminated with highly toxic material. Luckily, with the help of the Superfund program, the site was removed from the Superfund’s National Priority List by 1996 as it was able to be restored to a safe state (AMBLER asbestos Piles site 2017).
Asbestos is a natural mineral that is made up of a multitude of fibers and has been used in building insulation as an insulator or fire retardant. However, being exposed to asbestos increases chances of lung disease (more specifically, lung cancer) and has also been linked to chances of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer found in the walls of the lungs (Learn about asbestos 2021). Additionally, asbestos exposure has also been linked to those with asbestosis, a lung disease that originates specifically from asbestos inhalation (Learn about asbestos 2021). Thus, the clean-up of this Ambler site, which is surrounded by residential area and communities, was highly necessary.
In attempts to make this site safer, Superfund first began its removal attempts in 1984 (AMBLER asbestos Piles site 2017). Their cleanup attempts extended all the way through 1996, with its main attacks taking place in 1988. In order to clean up the area and optimize the health of the surrounding community, Superfund decided to block off the area, cap off the exposed asbestos waste, utilize vegetative soil cover in order to prevent asbestos from infiltrating the air, and insert a drainage system to remove any surface water that accumulated in the area (AMBLER asbestos Piles site 2017). Although, as previously mentioned, the site was fit enough to be removed from the Superfund’s National Party List by 1996, the work did not stop there. Various cleanups and repairs have been taking place up until modern day with the latest work being done from 2017-2019 where repairs were being done to ensure that the previous safety precautions remained in stable condition. Thus, it is clear how damaging and impactful these waste sites can become (AMBLER asbestos Piles site 2017).
This area stands in particular importance to me as I live extremely close to it. This summer, I would go on a bike rides within a mile of the area and had absolutely no idea that it existed or the damage that was once done in the area. This notion especially resonates with me as it proves the power and effectiveness of what Superfund has been able to do, but it also sheds light on the lack of knowledge that is shared with communities on the harmful substances that could potentially still be impacting the areas we live in.
Citations:
AMBLER asbestos Piles site. (2017, October 20). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0300445#bkground
Learn about asbestos. (2021, February 09). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/learn-about-asbestos#asbestos
What is superfund? (2018, November 30). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/superfund/what-superfund