According to a suit filed by New York and six other states against the bankrupt company Chemtura Corp., fields in Red Hook Park have levels of PCBs over 110 times what environmental agencies consider safe. Polychlorinated biphenyl production was banned by Congress in 1979 because exposure was linked to things like low birth rate for pregnant women, liver cancer and a loss of motor skills, but apparently leaked into the park from Chemtura's Red Hook plant, which closed in 1999. Chemtura, the nation's largest producer of plastic additives, has repeatedly refused to clean a leak at its plant.
Chemtura claims their bankruptcy kept them from using $107 million they had allegedly set aside for cleanup costs. They have already disputed at least $2 billion in claims from the government concerning their part in the pollution of the Gowanus Canal. State Attorney General's Environmental Bureau scientist Judith Schreiber wrote in the suit, "Contamination at the site and in or near the recreation area is at unacceptable levels from a human-exposure perspective."
However, most locals don't seem to be aware of the contamination. Many city and state environmental agencies told the Post they weren't aware of the problem, and one Red Hook resident said he never heard of chemicals in the park's soil. "I remember, six or seven years ago, a smell—but nothing now." The park becomes especially active in the summer as the site of Red Hook Food Vendors, soccer and baseball games, and picnics.
