Paden City Air, Water Still Safe

Two federal agencies that have been investigating pollution in Paden City last week reiterated their earlier findings that town residents do not currently face any adverse health effects from a dry-cleaning chemical in the soil. Paden City High School also is safe to use, their tests show.

Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared their latest findings — the EPA in a new fact sheet and the CDC in a letter about its previous health consultation.

The EPA oversees the Paden City Superfund site, a hazard created by the dry-cleaning chemical PCE. In February, the agency sampled sub-slab soil gas and indoor air in 28 homes, two businesses and Paden City High School, as well as at three sanitary sewer points. It was the agency’s third such test to gauge the threat of vapor intrusion into homes and buildings.

News of the February tests first surfaced last month as part of a legal fight to keep PCHS open. The Wetzel County school superintendent cited the EPA’s results as part of her justification for closing PCHS, but she actually closed the school two weeks before she saw those test results.

The EPA issued a statement rebutting the superintendent’s scientific claims, the second time the agency has done so since June. The fact sheet issued last week reinforced the point for a third time.

“Based on the data, there does not appear to be a [vapor intrusion] concern … for the residences, businesses or the Paden City High School,” the EPA said.

The agency is already planning a fourth round of tests for vapors in Paden City and further tests of the groundwater. It is part of a routine EPA remedial investigation for Superfund sites. The investigation phase should be finished by mid-2025, at which point the agency will conduct a yearlong feasibility study to develop alternatives for cleaning the Paden City Superfund site.

EPA officials will be at the Paden City Volunteer Fire Department from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 27 to update town residents and answer their questions.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), which is part of the CDC, was in town last week. They were there to talk about their findings from January about a PCE-related water crisis in Paden City last year. The EPA requested the health consultation, and the ATSDR ultimately concluded that the crisis did not expose anyone to harm from drinking the water, showering in it, or otherwise using it in their households.

The agency restated that point before its meeting in Paden City: “Based on our assessment of drinking water data from the 2023 malfunction, ATSDR concludes that drinking water that contained PCE during this time period would not result in harmful health effects. These conclusions assume the worst-case scenario that residents were exposed to PCE at the maximum concentration detected.”

To ensure the safety of Paden City residents, the ATSDR recommended that the town keep treating its water with an air stripper, regularly monitor the water to make sure it stays clean, and develop contingency plans in case the treatment system malfunctions as it did last year during a power outage.