UPDATED 10:45 a.m. Thursday: Growing alarm about potentially harmful chemicals found in two separate areas in Franklin came to light in a federal lawsuit filed last week as environmental agencies hosted a public open house to discuss ongoing cleanup efforts.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management revealed a map showing a second plume of chemical compounds on the northeast side of the city two weeks ago, and the department, along with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, attempted to ease public concerns Tuesday during the open house at the Franklin branch of the Johnson County Public Library.
Franklin residents were already aware of an initial plume of underground chemicals that traced back to sewer lines that run from the former Amphenol manufacturing plant. IDEM added to a map presented to the public last week a second plume, starting at a former tomato cannery near Eastview Drive and Hurricane Road and spreading east. The affected area includes the former site of the Hougland Tomato Cannery and farmland.
The contaminants that have been the primary sources of local concern are PCE and TCE, volatile organic compounds that can cause serious health issues in people who are exposed to them in high enough concentrations for long enough periods of time.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this galleryBoth environmental agencies have argued there is no connection between those contaminants and multiple childhood cancer cases in Johnson County.
Although PCE and TCE are carcinogens, the level of exposure residents had to the contaminants was not nearly enough to cause cancer, IDEM Project Manager Kevin Davis said Tuesday.
“From the data we’ve collected, we haven’t found any exposures connected to contamination, and if there aren’t any exposures, it can’t (cause) cancer,” Davis said.
Unlike the Amphenol plume, the Hougland plume does not affect a residential area and involves contaminants in soil and groundwater rather than sewer lines, Davis said.
Although IDEM has known for years about the second area of contamination and has documented it on its website, it didn’t know the concentration or exact boundaries of a specific contaminated area until last week, when it added it to the map, Davis said.
IDEM has been studying that second site — the Hougland Tomato Cannery — since 2011.
“While IDEM already knew the overall plume extents, it wasn’t until recently that sufficient data was available to accurately depict the Hougland groundwater contamination on the map,” said Ryan Clem, spokesperson for the IDEM.
Still, some local residents want better answers from the environmental agencies.
At least two residents impacted by the ongoing contamination and cleanup efforts took legal action this week on the heels of the newly revealed information about a second plume. They’re seeking damages from Amphenol and other companies they say are responsible for releasing chemicals into the community then covering it up.
Frances Denney and Arthur Terhune are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed against Amphenol, Borgwarner Inc., Borgwarner PDS and Franklin Power Products. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the United States District Court Southern District of Indiana.
The lawsuit alleges that beginning in the early to mid-1980s, the company was aware of solid and groundwater contamination around the sites, and that there was the potential for contamination to have spread. They also argue the company didn’t notify some of the surrounding property owners until late 2018.
The contaminants have been a blight on the community, causing annoyance and anxiety and preventing the families who live near the sites from enjoying their properties, the lawsuit says. The contaminants also pose a risk to their health, according to the lawsuit.
Denney’s house is located in the 700 block of N. Forsythe St., where he has lived for eight years. Terhune has lived in the 1000 block of Ross Court for 22 years. The lawsuit claims contaminates entered their properties, and that they have an increased risk of future illnesses that will require medical monitoring.
The lawsuit also alleges the company engaged in a campaign to mislead environmental and health regulators, as well as the public. It is filed as a class-action lawsuit, representing everyone who is in a similar situation, according to court documents.
A group of concerned citizens formed the organization “If It Was Your Child” in 2015. They believe the chemicals that have been found are responsible for multiple cancer cases in Johnson County. The organization’s Facebook group has about 6,000 members, and co-founders Stacie Davidson and Kari Rhinehart attended Tuesday night’s meeting.
The duo want proof from both environmental agencies that the contaminants are not responsible for local cancer cases. They also want complete cleanup of the areas impacted.
“It’s hard to directly link a correlation at this time, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that we have known contamination of things linked to cancer and have a high number of cancers, including pediatric cancer, in Franklin,” Davidson said. “If you are able to connect the dots, it makes it easier to solve the problem.”
Rhinehart, whose 13-year-old daughter, Emma, died of brain cancer in 2014, believes there is a correlation between those chemicals and multiple childhood cancer cases in Franklin, she said.
Cleanup is underway and has been for about a year.
The EPA is preparing a study on the land around the Amphenol site after it finishes relining sewer pipes in the blocks south of it, which is where the agency detected higher levels of TCE. That work, which Amphenol has agreed to pay for, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Come spring, roads above the sewer lines will be repaved, said Edward Nam, a director for EPA Region 5.
The EPA also plans to inject iron and activated carbon into the ground to see if it is effective if counteracting those compounds. If the injection method works, it will be applied to the entire impacted area, Nam said.
Although the EPA is working to remove the compounds, and IDEM will work to remove contaminated soil from the area around the former Hougland plant next year, both agencies continue to deny a correlation between the levels of PCE and TCE found in two separate areas of Franklin and local cancer cases.
“We are not aware of anyone in the neighborhood of the Amphenol study area (who) has cancer, and even if they (did), we would not be able to isolate the specific cause of the cancer,” Nam said. “It’s a very difficult thing to do to find the root cause.”
Both plumes are about a half-mile away from Needham and Webb Elementary schools, which canceled classes just before spring break in March due to elevated levels of PCE and TCE. Since then, the school has worked with a contractor to remove those compounds by filtering them through the air above the school. Further testing has shown the levels of the compounds have decreased significantly.
Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett is pleased with the way the EPA and IDEM are handling the two areas in question, he said.
“The EPA is working on the Amphenol site at a rapid pace and I can’t wait to see that through. I know the EPA is wanting to see that through. The EPA is on a fast pace and IDEM is also testing multiple sites,” Barnett said.
“It’s always a cause for concern as long as there’s any thought of contamination. My goal as mayor is to see it through and get (the cleanup) done.”
Daily Journal reporter Magen Kritsch contributed to this report.
