EPA gets ready for the second phase of the Bo-Rit asbestos investigation

The Bo-Rit site, located in Ambler, Upper Dublin and Whitpain, Pennsylvania, was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund National Priorities List in April 2009. The EPA began phase one of its investigation in November 2009. Researchers collected soil, sediment and groundwater samples to be tested for the presence of asbestos – a toxic mineral linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen – volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, metals and other potentially harmful materials.

This September, the EPA provided plans for the second phase of its investigation, which will analyze the nature and extent of the waste and the risk to ecological and human health. Phase two is slated to run for nine weeks, and the results gathered will provide the platform for a subsequent feasibility study to determine potential remedies for the site.

During the second phase, an emphasis will be placed on activity-based sampling, in which crew members simulate everyday activities, such as mowing or raking, to disturb the ground and monitor its impact. This will determine the health risk created by the release of particles into the air.

If it turns out that residents have been inhaling asbestos when performing the aforementioned tasks, they would be considered at risk of developing mesothelioma over the next few decades. Because the illness takes so long to surface, it is often difficult to detect, and mesothelioma treatment – a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – is rarely capable of prolonging life beyond 18 months.