OVER 7,000 tons of soil “treated” for polychlorinated biphenyl contamination have been returned to some areas in Tanapag, mostly to fill the sites earlier excavated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, Environmental Chemical Corp.
Frank Ono, on-island representative of Army Corps, yesterday said the treated soil is considered “safe,” and has passed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for treated contaminated soil.
However, due to the intense heat that the soil underwent upon treatment, it is no longer suited for any type of vegetation.
Gov. Juan N. Babauta earlier visited and “approved” the area near the Tanapag cemetery where the treated soil are stockpiled, Ono said.
There were some 20,000 tons of PCB-tainted soil that were stockpiled at the treatment site, and about 35 percent of this soil had already been treated using the indirect thermal desorption method.
PCBs are suspected cancer-causing chemicals used by the U.S. military. It is linked to physical, mental and behavioral disruption affecting fertility, learning ability, parenting and mating.
The completion of the treatment is expected between July and August, Ono said.
The target date had been delayed for about two months due to a Feb. 16 accident at the PCB treatment site. One worker died and two others were injured.
In a separate interview, Juan I. Tenorio, chairman of the Tanapag Action Group, said villagers will convene this week to discuss the progress of the ongoing treatment of PCB-laced soil.
“TAG wants to make sure that everything is properly done, and we want to be informed of what they are doing,” said Tenorio, who is also the government’s personnel director.
EPA has not issued the final approval for the ITD unit pending the completion of the site specific risk assessment of the operation of the equipment as outlined in the work plan and site safety plan. EPA also wants to know if the dust control and automatic waste feed shut off conditions have been met.
