Residents Fear Cancer Cluster After Toxic Chemicals Found Near Old Landfill

A New Jersey community is demanding answers after nearly 400 cancer cases have been identified in and around the town of Keyport, where residents fear they may be living in a cancer cluster linked to a long-closed…

Andrew PowellJul 31, 20263 min read

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Many believe hazardous chemicals from the site may have entered surrounding soil or groundwater over the years.

The New Jersey Department of Health tested the property in 2010 and found multiple carcinogens. Independent testing conducted this year reported similar findings.

According to NJ.com, all 13 groundwater wells tested at the landfill contained at least one metal above New Jersey standards. Those included arsenic, lead, aluminum, cobalt, iron, manganese and sodium.

Testing also found elevated levels of benzene in five wells and vinyl chloride in another five. Both chemicals are recognized carcinogens, and four wells contained both substances above state standards.

Separate soil testing conducted by EPA whistleblower Scott Smith detected levels of PCBs and dioxins that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold for additional investigation.

Smith told NewsNation that one sample measured 31 parts per trillion, well above the agency's benchmark.

Despite those findings, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has said it has not confirmed that residents have been exposed to contaminants from the site.

"To date, DEP's review of existing and new data does not indicate a pathway for human exposure to Contamination," the agency said in a statement.

Some experts believe flooding could provide a route for contaminants to spread beyond the landfill.

Toxicology professor Judith T. Zelikoff of New York University told NJ.com that some hazardous chemicals can move through soil, while journalist Karin Price Mueller noted that frequent flooding has raised additional concerns among residents.

The Aeromarine site began as an aircraft facility before becoming a landfill in 1962.

Experts say waste disposal practices at the time were far less regulated than they are today.

The property has accumulated nearly $900,000 in unpaid environmental penalties over the years for alleged failures to properly secure the site.

State officials are expected to release updated findings, along with an analysis of the independent testing, in September as residents continue seeking answers about the growing number of Cancer diagnoses.