Apr 23, 2007 6:42 pm US/Eastern
Baltimore Park Closed After Arsenic Found In Soil
by Adam May
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
Why is the arsenic-contaminated soil discovered at Baltimore's Swann Park back in 1976 just coming to the public's attention now? Should the park ever reopen?
"We don't know how serious, what the health consequences are with this, but we'll take a proactive approach and bring all the parties together that we need to."
The mayor spoke to a handful of city residents and community groups which came to get answers at Digital High School.
The city's health commissioner explained that when it comes to arsenic, five to 10 parts-per-million is acceptable. Documents from the 1970s that just surfaced show Swann Park had 6600 parts per million and it could still have up to 2200 parts per million.
The source was an old chemical factory next door that made insecticides.
"One of the buildings in the complex was called the arsenic shed. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out where the arsenic was coming from."
But it's not easy figuring out what to do. Federal health experts will examine the park in the coming days to help determine if people who frequent the park should be tested. This is a highly-debated issue because research on long-term arsenic exposure can be unclear.
Click here for more information about arsenic and the park closure.
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