Environmental Group Created to Inform Neighbors of Landfill Hazards

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)

Toxic liquid drains from a tank at the Lordstown Landfill

The outdoor railcar unloading operation at the Lordstown Landfill allows toxic dust to drift into neighborhoods

Lordstown Landfill workers write 'Help Us' in giant letters in dust on snow

Citizensagainstlordstownlandfill.org is a comprehensive on-line landfill information clearing house

“I'm concerned for landfill workers and neighbors. We might have a similar situation as Flint, Michigan. I don't know how anyone can justify these well documented problems continuing for so many years” — Mark SchmidtYOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, USA, March 28, 2022 /EINPresswire.com / -- A group of concerned citizens have created an on-line landfill information clearinghouse regarding the hazards of working at or living near any landfill disposal operation and for a Lordstown, Ohio landfill in particular. Citizensagainstlordstownlandfill.org has posted more than 200 detailed landfill photographs, slides and links regarding the many exposure symptoms and health effects of poisonous landfill gases and toxic dust.

The Lordstown Landfill in Ohio has taken more than 100,000 railcar loads of demolition waste from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The waste is often crushed and pulverized so it cannot be identified which is against Ohio EPA regulations. Pulverizing waste allows for hard-to-detect blending or“cocktailing” of illegal and hazardous wastes which are ten times as expensive to dispose. As a result of the waste and poor landfill operations, toxic dust and gases can be generated and drift into the surrounding neighborhoods. Pulverized waste particles tremendously increase the food source surface area for toxic gas-generating bacteria.

After more than 200 neighbor complaints of foul odors, nausea, headaches and illness, the Ohio EPA issued a 45-page set of Director's Final Findings and Orders to the Lordstown Landfill on 11/23/2016. The Ohio EPA order established a limit of 20 parts per billion of hydrogen sulfide gas on the boundaries of the landfill and placed a toxic gas meter at the home of a nearby resident to monitor the off-site gas levels.

But there have been another 300 complaints since 2016 and several people, including a previous Lafarge employee, have been hospitalized from toxic gas exposure. Ten other toxic gases, including carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, mercaptan and thiophene were found in high concentrations during a study of the Lordstown Landfill in 2019. Subsequently, the Ohio EPA issued a second set of Director's Final Findings and Orders on 10/30/2019 to the Lordstown Landfill. There have been more than 100 complaints since the issuance of the second Ohio EPA order.

The Lordstown Landfill also creates significant dust. Landfill dust comes from demolished residential and industrial buildings which have asbestos, mold, lead from paint, fiberglass, silica, arsenic from wolmanized wood, micro-plastics and household hazardous waste. All of these contaminants can cause serious health issues such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, silicosis, organ and nerve damage. Fifty percent of the homes in the United States have asbestos in them. New York City alone has more than 1.3 million homes with asbestos while Cleveland has over 100,000 homes with asbestos. Asbestos was used extensively in attic insulation, floor tile and pipe wrapping until 1980. Over 95% of the buildings being demolished are older than 1980.

Unloading railcars of waste should be done indoors using dust controls such as baghouses. Such an operation should also employ controls for containing waste-contact water from rain and blowing litter. The Lordstown Landfill unloads an average of 5,000 railcars a year outdoors with no controls.

Mark Schmidt, a hydrogeologist and previous Lafarge employee, worked with many aspects of the Lordstown Landfill. Mr. Schmidt filed a detailed 16-page verified complaint against the Lordstown Landfill with the Ohio EPA in June 2021. The notarized complaint alleged that the Lordstown Landfill was receiving cocktailed pulverized waste, not properly managing surface water, not controlling dust and violating the toxic hydrogen sulfide gas off-site limits.

Based on Mr. Schmidt's verified complaint, the Ohio EPA conducted several multi-divisional inspections of the landfill in September 2021. In October 2021, the Ohio EPA issued three separate violation letters with 14 different regulatory citations for disposing of unidentifiable pulverized waste, improper landfill operations, inadequate stormwater management and for the lack of dust controls. The Ohio EPA's verified complaint investigation is being coordinated by Jennifer Kurko, Assistant Chief of their Twinsburg, Ohio regional office and can be reached at (800) 686-6330. At the time of this article, the Ohio EPA has not shared what their next enforcement steps may be.

A record search of Ohio EPA's public eDOC system shows the Ohio EPA has issued more than 30 enforcement notices to the Lordstown Landfill in the past five years. The enforcement notices, called Notices of Violation, include over 1,000 exceedances of the off-site hydrogen sulfide gas limits. Other notices of violation are for not complying with the Ohio EPA consent orders, violating the landfill's permits and for not complying with the regulations regarding landfill operations and air and water pollution control. The most recent violations were issued on 3/15/2022.

Lafarge is the parent company of the Lordstown Landfill and is the world's largest cement producer. Lafarge operates in more than 70 countries including Russia and China. News outlets have reported allegations that Lafarge created environmental problems around the globe. The company has been indicted in France for crimes against humanity for cooperating with ISIS at their Syrian cement operation. CitizensAgainstLordstownLandfill.org also provides news links to controversial Lafarge sites in New York, Ontario, Nova Scotia, the U.K., Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Syria and other locations.

“I'm concerned for landfill workers and neighbors. We might have a similar situation as Flint, Michigan. I don't know how anyone can justify these well documented problems continuing for so many years while workers and an entire community's health are at stake”, Schmidt concluded.

Elijah Zander
Citizens Against Lordstown Landfill
citizensagainstlordstownlandfill.org

MENAFN28032022003118003196ID1103927973