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November 7, 2004Three toxins emanating from plumesTwo are known carcinogensByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - There are two plumes of contamination emanating from the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Career Tech Center property. The main contaminant is tetrachloroethylene, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The chemical also is known as PCE or PERC, a manufactured chemical widely used in dry cleaning and metal degreasing. According to information provided by TBA, the first plume runs north beneath Balsam Street into the Pine Grove subdivision and toward East Bay. Its highest concentration of tetrachloroethylene before it enters the bay is 174 parts per billion across U.S. 31 from Dunkin' Donuts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers 5 parts per billion safe for drinking water. The second plume to the east runs north parallel to the first plume beneath Mitchell Street into Pine Grove and vents into Mitchell Creek. PERC is a known carcinogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In high concentrations it can affect the nervous system and cause death. The health effects of long-term exposure at low levels is not known. All homes in the plume areas have city water, though some have irrigation wells, state officials said. Other contaminants in lesser amounts include trichloroethylene, or TCE, a carcinogen and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which is not a carcinogen but still causes harmful effects to human health. The state environmental agency uses PERC as the standard to determine cleanup levels because it is present in the highest concentration.
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