MEADVILLE – After discovering a dangerous compound inside the former Berlin Metals building in Punxsutawney, the Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the property’s owners to prevent the public from entering it until remediation work can be completed and the property made safe.
DEP has been investigating groundwater and soil and conducting a cleanup project in the neighborhood where the building is located since 2006. DEP staff visited the building in April and observed a discolored crystalline material seeping through cracks in the concrete floor.
A laboratory analysis of the material revealed that it contained hexavalent chromium at concentrations that present a threat to human health from direct contact.
Hexavalent chromium is used in chromium plating operations and is a known human carcinogen. It causes skin irritation, ulcers through direct contact, and affects nasal passageways and lungs when inhaled.
According to DEP’s Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch, the order will help protect the public while the department and the building’s owners discuss remediation methods.
“The condition inside the building represents a hazardous environmental condition that poses a risk to those who are directly exposed to it,” said Burch. “The order will remain in effect until remediation work is completed. We’ll work with the owners to identify what cleanup option is best, and that could involve demolishing and removing the building.
“Additionally, we’ll continue our investigation of the building and surrounding neighborhood in order to better understand the extent of the contamination and ensure the public’s health is protected.”
The building, which is located at 400 Walnut St., formerly housed the electroplating company Berlin Metals. Its last occupant vacated the property several months ago.
The building is owned by Columba M. and Anthony J. Runco, both of Punxsutawney, and the Runco Trust.
Under the order, the owners are to provide access to DEP for further investigation and remediation of the site.
The Punxsutawney neighborhood where DEP has been focusing its investigation and remediation activities is bounded by Walnut Street to the west, Sutton Street to the south, Chestnut Street to the east, and Cherry Street to the north. It is largely residential, although some businesses operate in the neighborhood.
As part of the cleanup efforts, DEP contractors removed 960 tons of non-hazardous waste and 656 tons of hazardous waste from alleyways outside the building last summer. The work was intended to eliminate the source of contaminants in the area that may have posed a threat to people who live and work in the neighborhood.
The waste was disposed of at a permitted facility.
DEP is continuing its investigation to determine if further remediation or mitigation is warranted.
DEP’s investigation is being carried out through the Hazardous Site Cleanup Fund, which enables the commonwealth to address contaminated sites while pursuing responsible parties to reimburse any or all of the costs.
Berlin Metals was one of two electroplating companies that previously operated in the area. The specific combination of hazardous substances suggests electroplating waste was a probable source of contamination.