Mercury level at Easton plant 2,000 times above legal limit
By Vicki-Ann Downing, Enterprise staff writerEASTON — Sandy sludge from a septic pipe at the Belcher Corp. foundry contains mercury at a level 2,000 times above the limit required for reporting to the federal government, Town Administrator Martha L. White said Tuesday.
White released the results of the test — which she said will be repeated — about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, shortly after receiving them from the town's health director, Wade D. Saucier, who had first mentioned them at a Board of Health meeting a full week before.
The testing, performed at the town's request by the Barnstable County Health Laboratory, showed a mercury level of 0.45 milligrams per liter in the sludge — that is more than 2,000 times above the required reporting limit of 0.0002 milligrams per liter set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is dangerous to the human nervous system if ingested, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Most exposure to mercury comes from coal-burning power plants.
Belcher Corp. officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. The foundry office was closed Tuesday night.
White said she discussed the test results Tuesday with Saucier, who had met with Don Wheeler, plant manager and director of operations at Belcher, a malleable iron foundry that makes automotive parts.
"Don is mystified because there is no mercury used" at the foundry, White said. "Belcher does not use mercury in any of its processes, so how it got there is a mystery. It causes everyone to want to test again."
White said she wants the test done again to double check the results.
Todd Pilling, an engineer hired by the foundry, earlier said the foundry uses sand in mold-making and it washed into the septic system when workers showered at the plant. The engineer said it is believed that is the sand in the sandy sludge that was found and tested.
Pilling said nothing about mercury being in the sand used in the mold-making process. It is unclear why mercury would be in the sandy sludge that was tested, officials said.
White said she was not sure about the timetable for testing, but thought Saucier would have it done within the next two weeks, and possibly by the same laboratory.
"I know this is an issue of interest to everyone," White said.
Neighbors of Belcher Corp., which is located on Foundry Street in the midst of a residential area, have been concerned about the mercury levels since Saucier mentioned them during a Board of Health meeting on Jan. 18.
Since then, Saucier has failed to return daily telephone calls about the issue from The Enterprise and refused to discuss the matter when reached at his home by a reporter last week.
George Allen of 59 South St., whose back yard runs along the foundry leaching field, expressed frustration Tuesday with how long it took to make the full test results public.
"I am absolutely disgusted that the town has no urgency whatsoever in regards to this issue," Allen said. "I'm a direct abutter and my property is 10 feet away from the leaching field where this substance was found.
Selectman John Haederle, a former employee of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday that mercury is a heavy metal that does not travel through groundwater or soil.
The sandy sludge was discovered in December when the foundry's engineer dug up sections of the leaching field to discover why sewage was repeatedly backing up onto the property of foundry neighbors.
Pilling brought a section of pipe to a Board of Health meeting to show board members and neighbors that sludge had completely clogged the pipes, preventing wastewater from reaching the leaching field as designed.
Pilling said the sludge consisted largely of sand used in foundry processing that washed off foundry employees during their showers.
As a result of Pilling's findings, the Board of Health decided the septic system had failed and ordered it shut down. The foundry has been pumping its tank every other day since then.
Allen, the neighbor, said he is not reassured by information that mercury is heavy and does not migrate, because he has photographs and videotapes of wastewater bursting from vent pipes at the foundry and spewing along his property.
"They're just taking sand out of the leaching field," Allen said. "God knows what's in the soil."
"I don't think the town has the qualifications to deal with this," Allen said.
The laboratory also tested for the presence of metals, including arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium and silver, but all were within the reporting limits.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, "exposure to mercury through skin contact, by eating contaminated fish or by breathing mercury fumes can cause serious health effects."
All types of mercuryare toxic. "Depending on the type and amount, exposures to mercury can damage the nervous system, brain, kidneys, liver and immune system," the DEP says on its Web site.
Vicki-Ann Downing can be reached at vdowning@enterprisenews.com.
Copyright: The Enterprise