August 20, 2009

South Camden gets ammo in fight over slag dust

By EILEEN STILWELL
Courier-Post Staff

Residents who have complained for years about airborne particles wafting into their South Camden neighborhood from the nearby Holcim US plant, have finally got some evidence to prove it.

Results of a study released this month by the state Department of Environmental Protection state that approximately 10 percent of the dust found in the neighborhood of Holcim -- formerly St. Lawrence Cement Co. -- can be traced to the plant, but not necessarily to the open piles of recycled material that the residents have long pegged as the culprit.

Called slag, the material is a byproduct from blast furnaces. Holcim, situated in Camden on tax-exempt land owned by the South Jersey Port Corp., brings the slag into the port largely from Italy and grinds it into a powder that is used as an additive in making cement.

Residents and representatives from a number of environmental groups will hold a rally today to unveil the findings -- now on DEP's Web site -- to try to pressure either the state to force Holcim to cover up, or the company to do so voluntarily.

Holcim did not return phone calls to the Courier-Post.

"This plant is a national embarrassment and should be closed down because it is directly impacting the health and public safety of residents. If the state can close down a prison for commercial development, it can close down a plant to protect the people of Camden," said Jeff Tittel, executive director of the Sierra Club of New Jersey.

Bill O'Sullivan, director of the DEP's air bureau, said long-term exposure to fine particles of any kind could lead to heart and respiratory problems. He said he is not convinced the open piles are the culprit, or that Holcim has exceeded emissions beyond those allowed in its permit.

Residents have long complained that they believe the dust in the neighborhood is toxic.

"The piles are to be kept moist to prevent fugitive emissions, which means anything off its own property. With moisture, the material develops a crust. When we wrote their permit more than 10 years ago, we evaluated whether the piles should be in a building or covered in some way, but determined it wasn't necessary. The company is required to look at potentially dusty sources on a daily basis. We see no justification to mandate Holcim to cover up at this time," said O'Sullivan.

Compared to older companies at the port, O'Sullivan said Holcim's operation is held to a higher standard.

"We threw the book at them when we wrote their permit because we knew there was opposition. Camden has a lot of polluters, particularly the port and the scrap yards, and they have a lot of catching up to do," said O'Sullivan.

To conduct the study, investigators wiped porch railings and window sills to track particles within a few block range of the plant.

"This may be the first time this was done in the state. It's not a sophisticated procedure, but it's useful," he said.

Jane Nogaki of the New Jersey Environmental Federation called DEP's lack of action a "travesty."

"The DEP has arbitrarily settled on 10 percent as an average on the dust that can be attributed to Holcim, but the study says the volume could range from 5 (percent) to 22 percent. Obviously, the closer the home, the bigger the threat. If this were a water issue, the state would be sending in bottled water. Try to buy clean air," she said.

Reach Eileen Stilwell at (856) 486-2464 or estilwell@courierpostonline.com