Report shows higher rates of medical problems near polluted site -- Newsday.com

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AP New York

Report shows higher rates of medical problems near polluted site

June 1, 2006, 2:25 PM EDT

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) _ A state report shows elevated levels of some cancers and higher rates of birth defects among residents living near the site of an old IBM manufacturing complex in Endicott.

But while the report by the state's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found the illnesses were not likely due to chance, it could not explain them or directly attribute them to the toxic site. The latest report is an update of a study conducted in August that found high rates of testicular and kidney cancers, birth defects of the heart and low birth weights in several areas polluted with industrial solvents.

One site is a 300-acre former IBM complex near the Susquehanna River that is leaking a subterranean plume of solvents, including trichloroethylene, or TCE.

While state scientists document the rate of illness in the area, their federal counterparts are using sophisticated computer modeling to learn who may have been exposed to what.

The Endicott site was a thriving microelectronics plant during a period when environmental standards were lacking. TCE spilled on the ground formed vapors that seeped into basements of hundreds of properties. The TCE pollution was discovered in 1980, but scientists did not know about the "vapor intrusion" in basements until 2003.

A federal study covering 1987 to 1993 concluded that local residents were at "low risk" of cancer from airborne emissions. A report on pre-1987 emissions is expected in July.

Waiting for years of detailed study to determine exactly who was exposed to what, at what levels, for how long and to what effect has proven frustrating for community members, said Frank Roma, a member of the Western Broome Environmental Stakeholders Coalition.

IBM agreed in August 2004 to eliminate underground pollution near the plant. It also has installed ventilation systems to prevent gases from seeping into more than 430 buildings and is monitoring the air in others. Last year, the company paid $2.2 million to 245 property owners affected by groundwater pollution.

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Information from: Press & Sun-Bulletin, http://www.pressconnects.com