Toxic chemical drums unearthed at Long Island park: 'Graveyard for contamination'

Six drums containing toxic chemicals were unearthed last week at a Long Island park, according to New York's Department of Environmental Conservation.

The department reported that the 55-gallon drums were discovered encased in concrete underneath the Bethpage Community Park. Officials believe the drums are decades old.

The location of the site was formerly a Northrop Grumman Aerospace dumping ground, Newsday reported.

The state oversaw the company's cleanup of the park after its chemical dumping from the 1940s to the 1960s led to a six-square-mile, 900-foot-deep, underground carcinogenic chemical plume. The aviation company donated the land to the town in 1962.

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino questioned, "Will we find more drums put in concrete vaults, coffin-like vaults, which proves to us that they knew they were dealing with something very dangerous?"

Saladino called the discovery "Grumman's graveyard for contamination."

According to the supervisor, the park's baseball field has been closed for two decades due to concerns of soil contamination. He criticized the company and the DEC for the slow cleanup effort.

Several years ago, a whistleblower claimed the company had buried chemical drums, WCBS-TV reported.

"That claim was deemed unfounded by the DEC, but look where we are today," Saladino noted.

The DEC insists that the discovery presents "no immediate threat to public health." However, many residents are not convinced, arguing that, for years, the area has had higher rates of cancer.

Additionally, despite media reports claiming no leaks were found, Saladino stated that one of the drums was punctured. He noted that some containers, buried seven feet deep, contained flammable chemicals. The contents of the drums could have seeped into a layer of clay found beneath them, the New York Post reported.

The DEC's preliminary testing found that the drums contained "chlorinated solvents and waste oil/petroleum."

Saladino is insisting the DEC conduct a full soil excavation and cleanup at the aerospace company's expense. He noted that taxpayers previously shelled out $20 million for the cleanup of the site to be able to safely use the park's skating rink. Saladino filed a lawsuit against the company 10 years ago to reimburse residents for the cleanup costs. Another complaint was lodged against the company in September, aiming to force Grumman to remove all contaminated soil.

"I've had it. I've had it. I've been working on this for over 20 years as a New York State assembly member and now as the supervisor of the fourth largest town in America and I'm not going to sit by idly," Saladino continued. "We believe there may be another set of drums beneath those drums even deeper in the earth and there's nothing that says this is over."

Northrop Grumman officials confirmed that the company is working with the DEC to address the situation.

"We promptly notified NYSDEC and other relevant stakeholders and we are working with NYSDEC to assess and address this situation as quickly as possible," a company spokesperson told the Post. "We remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of the community and to continuing our partnership with NYSDEC and other government regulators to address environmental conditions in the area."

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