BEVERLY — Varian officials on Wednesday continued to assert that there is “no significant risk” to people from contamination at its former property at 150 Sohier Road. But residents continued to push the company to finally complete a cleanup that has been going on for more than 30 years.
“After a few decades of assessment it’s now time to clean it up,” Jan Schlichtmann, an environmental lawyer from Beverly, said at a meeting at Shore Country Day School. “There’s a frustration in the community about how can we focus our energy so we can clean up the site as a source.”
About 40 people attended a presentation by Varian about the company’s revised assessment of where the underground contamination is located and what risk it presents to nearby homes and businesses and to workers at the site. Toxic chemicals continue to be present in the soil and groundwater on the property, raising concerns about the chemicals migrating to the neighborhood and getting into homes.
Varian officials said indoor air testing of more than 45 homes and several businesses has shown “no significant risk” to people, although they did say that further testing is needed at one home and one commercial property. They also said the safety of workers at the property, which is the home of Communications & Power Industries, is dependent on “soil vapor extraction” systems in two of the buildings.
But Schlichtmann and groundwater consultant David Lang of Beverly, who have been assisting neighbors on the issue, both expressed concern about contamination in a stream that runs from Varian into the neighborhood and through the Shore Country Day School property.
Varian officials said a risk assessment showed that the stream presents no danger to children who play in it. But Schlichtmann said, “I certainly wouldn’t want my child or anyone else’s child to be playing in the area. I don’t want to minimize this.”
“We have to acknowledge that we’re dealing with a site on a hill and a neighborhood in a valley,” Schlichtmann added. “And there is a plume of contamination that has been documented that does release into the community.”
Andy Whitman, a senior vice president for Varian, acknowledged the frustration.
“I’d love to wave a magic want and have it disappear,” he said. “No one would want to move it quicker than the company.”
Varian has been attempting to clean the site of hazardous chemicals since 1992. Last February, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection ruled that the company’s cleanup was not complying with state regulations and ordered it to come up with a new plan or face fines. First, the company had to redo an assessment of the site that it first did 22 years ago.
The company said it will submit a report on Dec. 7 evaluating possible cleanup methods, and will hold another public meeting in January.
Varian sold the property in 1995 but is still responsible for the cleanup. Whitman said the company, which is now California-based Varian Medical Systems, is committed to cleaning up the site.
“We are a company that takes care of patients for a living,” he said. “That’s in our DNA. That’s what we do.”
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
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