Several things have already been done to protect residents of the Newhall neighborhood from coming into contact with harmful substances that are buried and in the soil. Temporary caps (a barrier of soil, wood chips or asphalt) have been placed over public areas, such as the school, athletic fields and Rochford Field. Some residential yards have been temporarily cleaned up, many residents have received information about digging and gardening in their yards so they won’t come in contact with pollution and still others have received information about covering bare-soil areas.

While it is known that potentially harmful substance are buried in the ground of the Newhall neighborhood, it does not mean residents and students will become sick. The potential risk of getting ill depends on how much direct contact a person has with these substances.

This section will provide information on what contamination is, what chemicals were found in the Newhall neighborhood, how it got there, how people can be exposed to pollution and what people can do now to protect themselves.

As the investigation moves closer to the cleanup phase, this section is providing links to information on the DEP website that explains the standards the State of Connecticut uses to determine whether remediation is needed to protect human health and the environment, the State clean up standards that will be used (called the Remediation Standard Regulations), and a list of substances found in the Newhall neighborhood in the latest testing done in 2004.

1. Breathing air that has the chemical in it.
2. Eating or drinking something with the chemical in or on it.
3. Getting it on your skin or touching something with the chemical on it.

• It depends on the way the chemical got into your body.
• It also depends on how much and for how long the chemical got into your body. “It’s the dose that makes the poison.” Not all chemicals are equally toxic. Sometimes, a small amount of a chemical could make you sick. Other times, you would have to be exposed to a large amount of the chemical to get sick.

Factors that play a part in whether you will get sick from a chemical exposure are:
• the type of chemical (its toxic characteristics)
• the amount (how much of a chemical you were exposed to)
• the duration (how long the exposure was)
• the frequency (how many times you were exposed)

Also, people respond to chemicals in different ways. Some people may be exposed to a chemical, but may not get sick. Other people may be more sensitive to a chemical, and get sick from an exposure. (For example, young children are more affected by exposure to lead than adults) And some illnesses would be caused only if you were exposed to a chemical for a long time. For more information, download Public Health Sheet: "What Can I Do To Reduce Exposure?"

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The main type of contamination that has been found in the Newhall neighborhood is soil contamination. Groundwater testing is also being done to see if it has been contaminated as well. Results from sampling will be shared as they become available. Each type of contamination is described below, along with where it comes from, how it can harm people, and how to clean it up. (back to top)

A lot depends on how much and for how long a person is exposed to the contamination. The presence of contaminants in the soil does not necessarily mean a person will get sick, but means there is a risk of exposure. An explanation of what it means to be exposed is covered here (Exposure). The potential ways in which people and animals may be exposed to contaminants in the soil are: if they eat, breathe-in, or touch contaminated soil, or if they eat plants that have been affected by soil contamination. People can ingest and come into contact with contaminants when they play in contaminated soil or dig in the soil as part of their work. Certain contaminants are absorbed into our bodies when they contact our skin, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while others are not, such as lead and arsenic. When contaminants are attached to small surface soil particles they can become airborne as dust and can be breathed-in. Contaminants in the soil can hurt plants when they attempt to grow in contaminated soil and take up the contamination through their roots. People can then be hurt if they eat plants that took up the contamination or if the plants have contaminated soil on the surface. To learn more about how contaminants affect vegetables, the Connecticut Department of Public Health has prepared a fact sheet (download fact sheet) for gardening in the Newhall neighborhood. (back to top)

Depending on the problem, there are many different ways to clean soil contamination. However, there are three main ways to cleaning up contaminated soil:
1) the soil can be excavated (dug-up) and be either treated or removed entirely from the area;
2) the soil can be left in the ground and treated in place; or
3) the soil can be left in the ground and contained to prevent the contamination from spreading and reaching plants, animals, or humans.

When contaminated soil is left in place, it is usually done by placing a large plastic cover or cap over the contaminated soil. At the Hamden Middle School the cap behind the auditorium is made up of a one inch geotextile barrier that rests over a plastic grid. At the bottom of the photo there are traces of the black matrix fill where contamination has been found. Above the soil cap the soil is light brown and clean. The cap helps prevent direct contact and to keep rain water from going into the soil and spreading the contamination to groundwater. It also prevents dust from forming and becoming airborne. Some other treatments can include: flushing contaminants out of the soil using water or some other liquid solution or air; burning the contaminants at special facilities; encouraging natural organisms, like bacteria, in the soil to break them down; or adding material to the soil to enclose the contaminants and prevent them from spreading. The treatment method used depends on the specific chemicals – not all methods can be used on all chemicals.

In some locations of the Newhall neighborhood contaminated soil has been both removed and temporarily covered with clean soil and wood chips. In the mid 1990’s the Town of Hamden put a layer of clean soil over the soccer fields behind Hamden Middle School and in January 2001 covered contaminated soil areas next to the middle school buildings. Between Fall 2001 and Spring 2002, the federal Environmental Protection Agency removed highly contaminated soil at 13 private residences and replaced it with clean soil. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Projection spread wood chips in some yards where there were high levels of contaminants exposed in bare soils. At Rochford Field the Town paved high traffic areas and replaced bare dirt areas.

Currently testing is being done to determine the full extent of the remaining contamination. When testing is completed a full plan to cleanup the neighborhood will be developed and implemented. (back to top)

Groundwater is water underneath the ground. It comes from rain water or water from surface water like lakes or streams that soaks into the soil. The water is stored underground in the tiny spaces between rocks and soil grains and can move around within the soil. Groundwater contamination occurs when the water comes into contact with contaminants. Currently there are groundwater monitoring wells installed in the Newhall neighborhood, the parks and at the schools. Additionally, two dozen more wells will be installed in the residential areas to see if the known soil contamination has moved into the groundwater.

More groundwater testing is needed on the public properties in the Newhall neighborhood. Groundwater testing at the Hamden Middle School found some petroleum hydrocarbons and solvents in groundwater beneath the athletic fields. We won’t know if, or to what extent the groundwater may be affected by the contamination until several rounds of testing are completed. The good news is that residents of the Newhall neighborhood obtain their drinking water from the Regional Water Authority’s reservoirs in East Haven and North Branford.
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Like soil contamination, how much a person is exposed will determine whether or not it is harmful. Again, the good news here is that residents of the Newhall neighborhood are not exposed to groundwater as a drinking water source. They get their drinking and bathing water from the Regional Water Authority’s water supply reservoirs.

Because sampling is not complete, the Department of Environmental Protection is not sure whether there are any compounds known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (example acetone, benzene, etc.) present in groundwater that runs directly under the neighborhood. Some test results indicate that there some VOCs are in the groundwater that flows under the Middle School. The challenge with these types of compounds is that VOCs, even though they are in groundwater, can evaporate and turn into a gas form. Because of that, they can travel up through the tiny air spaces between soil particles. This does not happen to chemicals like lead or arsenic (they are metals and generally stay put in water).

If gases are released underground, they will seek the path of least resistance and go straight to the surface. Once they hit the surface they are released into the air. Once they hit the atmosphere they are immediately diluted into the air. If they are traveling underground and run into structures like buildings they will continue to seek the path of least resistance. Sometimes the path leads them out from under the building and sometimes it leads them up into the basement because they have a crack or leaky area in the building’s foundation. This is very similar to the way radon can enter a basement. If (and there are a lot of “ifs”) the gases build up inside a person’s home, it’s possible that the concentration of VOCs in indoor air, when breathed for many years, could pose a health risk.

It’s too early to tell whether or not there are volatile chemicals in the groundwater beneath buildings and in sufficient quantities to pose a health concern. (back to top)

Like soil and groundwater contamination, a lot depends on how much and for how long a person is exposed to the contamination. However, contaminated surface water can affect the health of animals and humans when they drink or swim in contaminated water. One of the major concerns associated with contaminated surface water is the potential of fish to accumulate (build up) contaminants in their bodies. Fat-soluble chemicals such as PAH or PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) are much more likely to accumulate in fatty portions of fish than some of the metals like lead. Swimming in contaminated surface water poses two kinds of exposure: your skin is exposed and you could swallow small amounts of water by accident while playing or swimming in the water. The state Departments of Public Health and Environmental Protection have issued a statewide fish consumption advisory that discusses what fish and how much of certain fish are safe to eat in the state. The following link provides more information: www.dph.state.ct.us/bch/eeoh/webfsh.htm. The amount you would be exposed in a swimming or wading situation is likely to be small versus if you frequently ate fish caught in the lake or pond.(back to top)

• Put their hands or other objects covered with lead dust in their mouths.
• Eat paint chips or soil that contains lead.
• Breathe in lead dust

The potential exists for lead poisoning to occur if children play in residential yards where bare soil is exposed. The best thing to do to prevent lead poisoning in children is to have children age 6 and under tested for lead by a medical provider.

You are not likely to get lead poisoning from sitting on the ground or playing on the athletic fields, even if there is some lead in the soil. In the mid-1990s, a soil barrier was placed on the athletic fields at the Hamden Middle School. The barrier serves to prevent exposure, even in area where lead was found to be a high levels under the ground. Remember, if you’re not exposed, you are not at risk of getting sick. For more information on lead please navigate to the following page: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html (back to top)

Methane is not toxic to the body. However, if enough methane builds up in an enclosed space (such as a closet) with enough oxygen, it can produce an explosion if lit (such as with a lighted cigarette or spark from electricity). A monitor with a 24-hour alarm system has been installed in the custodian’s office as a measure to prevent this type of incident. If there is even the slightest change, the monitor notifies the custodian and the Hamden Building and Facilities Manager. (back to top)