EPA: Newark Superfund Site Still Too Toxic to Excavate

September 20, 2024 | njspotlightnews.org

Credit: Image by Freeimages.com

What lies beneath this cement cap along the riverfront in Newark’s Ironbound makes it one of America’s most toxic Superfund sites in the country. The Diamond Alkali chemical plant manufactured Agent Orange, used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War, and it poisoned the site with dioxin — a cancer-causing byproduct so toxic, the EPA sent workers in hazmat moon-suits to vacuum the streets back in the early 1980s.

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NJ SEED: New Jersey’s high concentration of toxic waste sites inspired then Congressman Jim Florio to sponsor the Superfund legislation to help fund cleanups. NJ SEED continues to monitor cleanup and remediation of these sites and economic development on the resulting “Brownfields” once toxic waste is removed or otherwise contained.