This was certainly not what I planned for my first blog post, but there is news about the investigation of the soil in our Gowanus neighborhood that raises questions about the soil in the proposed development site at 4th Avenue and 7th Street. Voice of Gowanus has launched a health survey for current and former residents of the Gowanus area in partnership with Dr. Judith Zelikoff, a recognized expert in toxicology and environmental health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
The main goal of the health survey is to determine if – and how – the residents of Greater Gowanus have been affected by chemicals known to be in the local soil and air from the toxic substances left over from the years of industrial activity in the Gowanus Canal Federal Superfund site, the surrounding NYS Superfund and NYS Brownfield sites, and the Soil Vapor Intrusion (SVI) investigation conducted by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC). These chemicals include the human carcinogens trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene (BTEX), and other industrial contaminants that were used for over a century.
You can fill out the survey here https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGbI2c9FLX8YuY6
Along with the survey, Voice of Gowanus will be hosting an online Town Hall with Dr. Zelikoff on March 10 at 7pm Eastern Time. For more information and to register for the Town Hall, please visit https://www.voiceofgowanus.org/updates/online-town-hall-march-10th-7pm-learn-more-about-the-gowanus-community-health-survey.
Leave a Reply