Groundwater, Soil Under MoMA QNS May Hold Toxins
BY LINDA J. WILSON

Soil and groundwater under the former Swingline factory, now a storage facility for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) are contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a common industrial pollutant and carcinogen. State DEC officials are testing eight to 12 buildings within a one-block radius of the building, fearing that the contaminants have spread.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officials are conducting tests at eight to 12 buildings within a one-block radius of a former stapler factory building that was once the home of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA QNS) from 2002 to 2004 while the MoMA Manhattan location was being renovated.

A toxin found under the building may have spread to neighboring structures, according to state officials. Groundwater and soil beneath the former Swingline factory at Queens Boulevard near 33rd Street in Long Island City are tainted with trichloroethylene (TCE), a common industrial pollutant and carcinogen, according to Arturo Garcia-Costas, a DEC regional citizen-participation specialist. The DEC will first determine how far the contamination spread, then check to see if any of the pollutants seeped into basements in the nearby buildings, Garcia-Costas said.

Garcia-Costas added that the tests, a new round of which began in October after the DEC found that the degreasing solvent, which has also been linked to nerve damage and birth defects, might have spread, will be conducted through the end of the year and a fact sheet will be disseminated to the public next month. He was quoted as saying that no public health risk exists and that the tests are precautionary.

City Councilmember Eric Gioia said that the city should be taking steps to deal with the situation as well as the state DEC. "As we reclaim formerly industrial land for new uses like schools, homes, and public spaces, the city needs to have a comprehensive plan for testing for toxic substances," he asserted.

The Long Island City YMCA, around the corner on Queens Boulevard, will be tested later this month. A spokesperson for the agency said the Y is fully cooperating with the DEC, as its first priority is the health and safety of Y members and all others who use the facility.

"The YMCA is an amazing resource for our neighborhood, and hundreds of people use its facilities and enjoy its programs every day," Gioia, in whose district the site is located, said. "We don't want to close it down. But if we have the slightest indication that these toxins have spread and have entered basements, we won't hesitate to act."

The Swingline factory was operated by ACCO from 1952 to 1997. ACCO entered into the state's voluntary cleanup program in October 2000 after an unlined pit used to dump chemical waste was discovered during federal closing procedures. The DEC investigated the actual footprint of the factory in 2004, but tests in the areas around Swingline were not completed until this year.

"It's a wonderful thing when you take an empty factory and turn it into something new for the community, but it can be scary what's underneath the ground and we need to ensure that the new uses are safe," Gioia added. "This is a problem that is only going to continue as more formerly industrial neighborhoods are revitalized, and we can't go about it in a piecemeal fashion."