Toxic dump site threatened by flooding

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Flooding triggered by Hurricane Irene has created a problem for one of the most toxic chemical dump sites in the United States, officials in New Jersey say.

A 400-acre Superfund site in Bridgewater, N.J. remains under 13 feet of water raising serious safety concerns, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Wednesday.

The first indication of a problem surfaced last week when balls of tar were spotted beyond the protective barriers enclosing the site.

The tar balls contain benzene, a highly carcinogenic substance, according to Pfizer, which acquired the site two years ago and has been helping to clean it up.

Pfizer spokesman Rick Chambers said only a small amount was found just beyond the barriers.

The Environmental Protection Agency has tested the water upriver and downriver for benzene and is expected to disclose updated test results within days, EPA spokesman Elias Rodriguez said.

"If you breathe in a little bit of benzene, it's not going to kill you," said Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey Sierra Club. He said the effects are more likely to be indirect, posing a danger to fish and wildlife.

"The chemicals that get out will accumulate in the fish, and we eat the fish," Tittel said.

The Bridgewater site is the former home of the American Cyanamid Co.