Watch out for blobs.
A huge, foul-smelling clump of black sludge was unearthed this week at the construction site of a new home being built along Brooklyn's toxic Gowanus Canal, and concerned neighbors say the toxic substance is being used at a busy intersection. It was left exposed for several days just a few meters from the school.
Residents complained to state environmental officials Monday about the mysterious mound at Bond and Union streets, accusing the developer of total indifference.
“The kids don't care at all,” one concerned parent told The Post on Friday. “This site is half a block away from an elementary school and the sidewalk is 10 feet from that fetid shed. It should have been immediately covered with thick plastic and vapor suppression foam.
The substance is suspected to be coal tar, a highly toxic byproduct of plants that have been producing coal gas and coke for a century.
Parents say it has a “pungent, toxic mothball-like smell,” likely because it contains naphthalene, a harmful hydrocarbon used in the manufacture of mothballs and insecticides. That's what it means.
“If it was poisonous, they should have removed it instead of leaving it outside,” the parent added. “It's like taking fuel rods from Chernobyl and putting them on the sidewalk and picking them up later. That's crazy.”
The state Department of Environmental Protection visited the site Tuesday and issued a stop work order.
Work has since resumed, with large plastic sheets placed atop the 6-foot-tall and 30-foot-wide pilings.
According to photos shared by the Post, developer Tankhouse has also ensured that all viewing windows along the boarded-up construction site and gates to the site have been covered to ensure no one can peer into the construction.
A spokesperson for the city Department of Buildings confirmed to the Post that such coverings violate city building codes, but said the city has not received any complaints about the peepholes being obstructed. said. “If DOB does indeed receive 311 complaints regarding this issue, we will send inspectors to the scene to investigate,” the spokesperson said.
DEC said it is “committed to addressing community concerns and ensuring a comprehensive cleanup of the 450 Union property,” adding, “Upon being notified of community concerns regarding odors, DEC immediately conducted a cleanup.” “We have contacted contractors and created a cleanup plan.” The unpleasant odor was addressed and personnel were dispatched to the scene the next morning.
“DEC proactively halted activity at the site to thoroughly investigate the complaint and conducted a thorough cleanup to ensure compliance with the approved work plan, which included covering odor control foam and stockpiles. A community air monitoring program has been in place since the cleanup began and will continue until the work is completed. Sanitation is protected.DEC staff will continue to provide direct supervision throughout ground entry operations.”
The state is investigating about 100 blocks in and around the Gowanus Canal to see if they are contaminated with carcinogenic vapors or other harmful substances.
The state's DEC has responded to reports that it waited nearly two years to warn the public that nearly 22 times the amount of carcinogenic vapors considered safe had leaked from contaminated soil and entered a popular shuffleboard club. In response to the backlash, an investigation was launched in September.
DEC declined to disclose, but in one building, air concentrations of the chemical trichlorethylene (“TCE”), an industrial solvent linked to cancer, Parkinson's disease, and other illnesses, were 450 times higher than acceptable levels. That's what it means. The exam I took last year.
A similar test was conducted in 2023. 543 Union Street, The massive 19th-century building houses 22 businesses, and TCE smoke has been found on the premises dozens of times. Contains one measurement 255 times above the “safe” level.
Parents who had to walk near the grounds to take their children to PS 32 also noticed that there were no protective tents on the grounds.
“This series of events shows that the DEC and DOH are behind the curve and not doing their job,” the concerned father said. “It also shows the contractor’s indifference and disrespect for the people in this neighborhood.”
