MINDEN, W.Va. — “Welcome to Toxic Town” reads one of several handmade signs as you enter the Fayette County town of Minden.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources and the Bureau for Public Health hosted two public hearings over the weekend.
Residents have been concerned for several years that the former Shaffer Equipment site in the town has been the cause for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminating the area. PCBs are listed as a known carcinogen. The company produced mining machines, which required a large amount of PCB oil.
Last June, the EPA collected 37 soil surface samples in the area surrounding Arbuckle Creek. For the EPA, 1.00 part per million (ppm) is considered the “action level” for the Superfund Removal Program. Of those samples, 10 were non-detect, 15 samples were below 0.1 ppm, 11 were between 0.1 ppm and 0.41 ppm while only 1 sample was 54 ppm. 27 sediment samples indicated 24 were below 0.1 ppm, 2 were between 0.1 and 0.2 ppm with only 1 sample at 1.8 ppm.
The DEP also did testing using a similar scale. 0.33 ppm is classified as the “screening level” for sites to be helped through the Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP). Based on their results, the Shaffer Equipment site is classified as not being an immediate health risk, but does qualify to be added to the National Priorities List.
Only the EPA can add a site on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. By adding the area to the superfund list, it would be eligible for federal funding for further investigation and clean-up.
Minden resident Susie Jenkins hoped the two agencies would listen to resident requests for immediate action. She worked as a welder for several years and knows PCBs are present in all seven Minden mines in addition to the Shaffer Equipment location.
“I know the way they littered in the mines and stuff, I’ve seen it myself. All of that stuff’s still in there. One of the EPA people said a while ago ‘we tested that water that was coming out of Minden mines’. Okay, so you did. But, what you’re testing is the spring that we used to use for drinking water. Your PCBs are further back.”
Jenkins added that Shaffer would dump “hundreds of gallons” of PCB oil into the ground on a daily basis while it was in operation from 1970 to 1984.
“I’m hoping that these guys can understand about the mines and what was used in all these mines,” said Jenkins. “They don’t realize this stuff and how the miners worked and how the oil was used in these mines. Not just in Minden but all over West Virginia.”
Lifelong Minden resident Annetta Coffman wasn’t pleased with how the public hearing went. She said it was more of the same from previous events hosted by the DEP and EPA.
“We’re still left with ‘getting more tests’ and I think our community still feels that we’re in danger. We know that there are a lot of sick people here. I’m hoping that they do continue to do testing but I wish that they would take the issues of our concerns a little bit more seriously.”
Coffman said she has lost numerous relatives and 35 neighbors from cancer. Her mother died of breast and uterine cancer and her father just recently succumbed to illness.
“Today we buried my father. To me, them saying there’s no correlation between the contamination and the PCBs…that blows my mind. Like I just can’t get that.”
Data from the West Virginia Cancer Registry presented at the hearing shows there have been 81 reported cancer cases between 1993-2015. Of those, the most common in Minden are lung and breast, followed by respiratory. Lung and breast are also the most common forms of cancer in all of West Virginia.
West Virginia DEP Communications Director Jake Glance said his organization hears the concerns of residents, but at this point there are limitations.
“We can understand the people are frustrated and they came here looking for answers. Maybe the answer they got tonight wasn’t exactly what they wanted to hear that there is going to be more sampling. There may be a couple more months before we hear from EPA whether or not the score is high enough to be listed on the NPL of superfund sites.”
Both agencies have agreed the next step is to get Minden on the Superfund Sites list. Governor Jim Justice previously announced that he would support this action.
“DEP is here to make sure that everything that could be done is being done,” said Glance. “To make sure that we get the most accurate picture possible of where the contamination is and what the concentrations are.”