(Greenfield, MA) At Wednesday’s Greenfield City Council meeting Bruce Nickelsen the licensed site professional, or LSP, for the former Lunt Silversmiths property cleanup project gave an update to the public for the first time in two years. Stating that there has been a passive system to clear the TCE vapors and prevent them from entering the building on the property and soil remediation.
Community members have been concerned about the presence and spread of trichloroethylene (TCE) and the lack of adequate cleanup or transparency about the process, resulting in the formation of the Lunt Neighborhood Action Group who hired an independent LSP. According to the National Cancer Institute, TCE is used “primarily to make refrigerants and other hydrofluorocarbons and as a degreasing solvent for metal equipment” and people can be exposed to TCE through contaminated drinking water or inhaling contaminated air, either indoor or outdoors.
MassDEP has also become involved in the cleanup process, completing an audit of the Phase 2 Comprehensive Site Assessment and found the work needed revision. The Lunt Neighborhood Action Group and their LSP are also submitting comments to the Phase 2 Comprehensive Site Assessment scope of work.