Quantcast

Ridgewood, Queens site added to Superfund list

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it will take action to decontaminate the area near a former Ridgewood chemical site that was deemed the most radioactive site in the city.

The agency placed the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company site at 1125 to 1139 Irving Ave. and 1514 Cooper Ave. on its superfund list of hazardous wastes after months of testing determined the building, which hasn’t been in operation since 1954, contained remnants of radioactive material.

There “is no immediate threat to nearby residents, employees or customers of businesses in the affected area along Irving and Cooper Avenues,” the agency said in a statement.

The EPA already spent $2 million on short term remedies, including sealing a hole that was leaking radioactive material near a school close to the site and the superfund will help pay for sealing off and installation of systems to reduce the radioactive particles in the soil and air.