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Grand Street, Hoboken, New Jersey Contaminated Condominiums The residents of 722 Grand Street in Hoboken, New Jersey had dreams of transforming an aging industrial building into homes and artists' studios, but those dreams turned to nightmares when workers found pools of mercury beneath flooring. To this day, as the building is being demolished, the former residents suffer from a wide array of health problems associated with mercury contamination. In the summer of 1993, a group of artists from New York City bought an 80-year-old, five-story industrial building in Hoboken, New Jersey. They bought the property in hopes of escaping high rents in Manhattan by turning the spacious $1.5 million former factory into 17 studios and lofts for their families and friends. In the middle of 1994, its eager residents began to move in as renovations continued throughout much of the building. Their dreams of transforming this aging industrial building into homes and artists studios were quickly dashed in early 1995, when workers completing the renovation discovered pools of the toxic chemical mercury in sub-flooring and crawl spaces. Over the next several months as consultants were retained to measure and remediate the mercury problems, they also discovered mercury on countertops, stoves and in the air at extremely high levels. In late 1995, 20 of 29 building residents---including 6 children---tested had extremely high levels of mercury in their urine. Based on these test results, local officials in Hoboken asked for assistance from the New Jersey Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declared the building "unfit for habitation," and ordered residents to move. Residents were put into temporary housing and only allowed to bring two bags---which EPA monitored for two days---for fear of mercury being transported with them. In early 1996, residents were referred to a clinic that specializes in environmental health problems. Doctors there observed that residents' urine continued to have "extremely high levels" of mercury. When the EPA came in to investigate the building they found mercury at unsafe levels in beams, woodwork, bricks, and air in 13 of 16 units. EPA measured mercury levels in the air at 1,000 times safe levels and also found mercury in the soil surrounding the building. These findings led EPA to declare the building a Superfund site and recommend that it be demolished. Breathing mercury, as these residents did, causes the most harm because more mercury can reach the brain. Exposure to mercury can cause permanent damage to the brain, kidneys and entire nervous system. Effects on the brain usually results in irritability, shyness, tremors, changes in vision or hearing, and memory problems. Before the artists purchased the property in 1993, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and several private consultants inspected it and gave it a clean bill of health. NJDEP declared the old industrial building "safe for residential conversion." Though it performed many tests, not one detected mercury. The reason? Although the former mercury vapor lamp factory was being converted into residential use, neither the state nor the private inspectors, tested for mercury. The source of the mercury in the old factory was hardly a mystery to long-term residents in Hoboken. From 1910 to 1955 General Electric and Cooper-Hewlett Electric Company made industrial mercury vapor lighting in the building. Then from 1955 to 1993 John Pascale and other members of his family manufactured precision tools with the now-defunct Quality Tool and Die Company there. It was the Pascale family who sold it to the group of artists in 1993. The failure of NJDEP and the private consulting firms to do an adequate assessment of this site jeopardized the health of all the building's residents. NJDEP claims it does not have the resources to adequately test each industrial site that is converted to residential use, nor were they required to test for mercury. It is vital to retain the federal government's authority to protect public health when state agencies fail to do so. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
