New Study On Bethpage Cancer Rates To Be Done By NY State

BETHPAGE, NY — An updated study on cancer rates of Bethpage residents living near the former Grumman-Navy site will be conducted, the New York State Department of Health announced.

The study will expand on the state's 2013 health evaluation and take approximately six months, according to the department.

Chemical drums were found under Bethpage Community Park — previously a Grumman dumping ground — prompting officials to call for a new study.

Lab results came in for the first 16 drums found at Bethpage Community Park, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation previously announced in May. Data shows that known human carcinogens were found within the drums, the DEC stated.

Results show the type and level of contamination in the drums' contents and surrounding soils are "consistent with historic contamination at the park," the DEC stated.

The state health department told residents there are "no new exposures or risks to public health" after the intact drums were found. The state said it will continue to ensure protection of public drinking water and closely oversee the ongoing investigation and cleanup of the park, as well as containment of the groundwater plume.

"The Department of Health is committed to continuing our work with state and local partners to ensure those who live in Bethpage are protected from the pollution left behind and to provide updated information that is based on science and data," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a news release. "While there is no new threat to public health, and prior exposures have been addressed for more than a decade due to the efforts of New York State, we understand the public would benefit from and appreciate an updated review of cancer cases in the area."

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino called the updated study "good news" and a "step in the right direction."

"I’m glad we pushed them to recognize that this needs to be done," Saladino said. "No matter the results, Grumman must immediately excavate all contaminated soils from the park and truck them off Long Island."

Grumman did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

The state department's 2013 study evaluated several areas of Bethpage to look for elevated rates of cancer. Elevated rates of cancer were not identified, the department wrote. In the area closest to the former Grumman-Navy site, the people diagnosed with cancer were "relatively young" at the time of diagnoses, but all were diagnosed with different types of cancer, the state wrote. Most of these types are not linked to the "main contaminant of concern," trichlorethylene (TCE).

The upcoming study is a retrospective observational evaluation, similar to the 2013 report. The expanded evaluation will look at updated data from the New York State Cancer Registry for the original geographic area and expand the area of analysis to provide additional information to the public, the health department wrote. The updated evaluation will also report on trends in cancer rates in the evaluation area over time.

The department said the study will raise public awareness of the types and rates of cancer diagnosed in the area relative to statistics for other portions of New York state.

"It is important to note that like the 2013 report, this update cannot provide a direct causal link between identified cases of cancer and any particular environmental exposure such as the Grumman plume," the health department wrote.

The state wrote that epidemiological evaluations of ambient environmental exposures can help draw associations but cannot definitively determine causality.

"The State will continue monitoring the remediation systems so that the community can be assured they have everything in place to protect their health," the health department wrote. "While the recent discovery of intact buried drums has not affected drinking water supplies, the Department continues to routinely review public water test results to make sure effective treatment is in place to meet public health standards."

A soil vapor extraction system in operation since December 2009 prevents contaminated vapors from leaving Bethpage Community Park and reaching homes, the department stated. The system is "regularly monitored" to ensure it is working properly. An on-site groundwater containment system in operation since 2009 prevents off-site migration of site contaminants in groundwater.

The system has produced an area of clean water downgradient of the Bethpage Community Park, and more than 2,200 pounds of contamination has been removed from the aquifer since the system came online, according to the state.

The discovery of drums does not add exposure concerns, the state said, as the drums did not leak and were well contained in cement. The drums have since been removed.

"Contaminants in the surrounding soil did not originate from the drums, but from past disposal," a DEC spokesman previously told Patch.

Elevated levels of soil contamination in parts of Bethpage Community Park were first discovered in 2002, and the park was closed to the public. Sections reopened following extensive testing, the town said. The park in 2006 underwent a $20 million remediation project funded by Town of Oyster Bay taxpayers.

"Grumman has not reimbursed taxpayers for these costs to date," the town previously stated.

The ball field, however, remains closed as soil contamination far below the ground continues to exist, the town stated.

The contamination was caused by a plume of toxic water because of industrial waste dumping from U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman manufacturing facilities, state officials said. The underground plume was nearly four miles long and two miles wide.

The contaminated water led to a New York State Department of Health investigation into several cancer cases in Bethpage, Newsday reported.

Grumman gifted the land that would become Bethpage Community Park to the town in 1962 under the condition it would be used as a park. The 18-acre parcel was previously used by the company as a dumping ground for toxic chemicals containing high concentrations of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Environmental investigations in the 1980s and 90s found the extent of the contamination of the land.

According to the EPA, volatile organic compounds can be emitted as gasses. Exposure can cause damage to the liver, kidneys and the central nervous system, as well as cancer, the EPA said.

Saladino previously said the town has taken several steps to clean the contaminated areas of the park's ball field so the community can use it again, "despite Grumman's lack of action."

The town, with cooperation from the Department of Environmental Conservation, was working with Grumman to remediate two types of contamination under the ball field, but the project was stalling, according to Oyster Bay.

Grumman installed remediation equipment above the contaminated soil but "refuses to expedite the process and wishes to leave behind PCBs deep below the surface," the town previously stated.

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyl, cause cancer in animals, while studies in humans support evidence for potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

"Studies in animals provide conclusive evidence that PCBs cause cancer," the EPA's website reads. "Studies in humans raise further concerns regarding the potential carcinogenicity of PCBs. Taken together, the data strongly suggest that PCBs are probable human carcinogens."

The DEC oversaw the collection and laboratory analysis of thousands of soil and groundwater samples at the former Grumman Settling Ponds — now the park. A groundwater containment system, soil vapor extraction system, and a first phase of a thermal remedy were constructed to remove thousands of pounds of site-related contamination, according to the DEC.

"DEC and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) are focused on finding and eliminating any possible exposures to the public from the contamination," the DEC stated.

That work is complete, but the cleanup remains ongoing under different design and construction phases.

The DEC said the former ball field will be restored once the "remedy" has been fully implemented. The area was fenced when the town closed the ball field in 2003 and is inaccessible to the public. The former ball field area is where the "bulk" of the disposal took place while the property was owned by Grumman, the DEC stated.

The DEC stated it is not uncommon to find buried underground storage tanks, intact drums, drum carcasses, drywells, tank lines, and more when investigating and remediating large and complex former industrial sites.

"This typically occurs when redevelopment or a cleanup is happening, as is the case at the Bethpage Community Park," the agency wrote.