The American Thermostat Corporation superfund site is found in South Cairo in the state of New York. The site developed due to improper disposal of wastes by the American Thermostat corporation employees, a company that was building thermostats for small appliances in New York. The wastes were organic solvents that were being drained to abandoned septic tanks for a long time. Besides, the solvents were carelessly dumped in the parking lot. The pollution was discovered by the New York State Department of Environmental conservation.
The site enumerates several threats to the communities living around the site. There is a release of chemicals directly into water sources in the area. Among the contaminants listed include trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, dichloroethane dichloroethene, arsenic, vinyl chloride, chloroform, and lead (Amato & Paing, 2012). The department also found the soils to be contaminated with lead, tetrachloroethene, and trichloroethane. Besides, there were increased carbon dioxide levels as a result of pollution from the company. All these wastes pose a significant threat to human health, including respiratory complications resulting from the carbon dioxide pollution and the nervous system's effects following acute or chronic consumption of the organic waste solvents.
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After the discovery of the pollution, several measures were put in place to remediate the site. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ensured that individuals in the areas were being supplied with bottled water. Besides, EPA provided three stripping systems in 1985 to ensure that the contaminants are evaporated from the water systems. Record of Decision (ROD) was assigned the sources' cleanup following a complete feasibility study in 1990 (Daley & Layton, 2004). The cations taken were decontamination of the site's buildings, air stripping, and thermal energy to treat the contaminated soils. The actions were completed in 1992, 1998, and 1996 respectively. The completion saw the resumption of the state to its managerial position in 2008.
In conclusion, the pollution by the American Thermostat corporation saw numerous effects on the occupants of South Cairo. Then innumerable contaminants, including trichloroethylene, had a drastic impact on groundwater and soils in the area. However, the EPA's intervention has ensured that the superfund site is decontaminated to cushion the area's residents from the contaminants' harmful effects.
References
Amato, M., & Paing, S. (2012). Public Involvement in Long-Term Stewardship Sites of the Superfund Program . digitalcommons.com. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/iqp-all/74/.
Daley, D. M., & Layton, D. F. (2004, July 20). Policy Implementation and the Environmental Protection Agency: What Factors Influence Remediation at Superfund Sites? Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1541-0072.2004.00071.x.
