Hazardous chemicals are being removed from a Dunbar electroplating business that hasn't operated since last year.
Custom Plating and Polishing Inc. operated a metal refinishing business at 1428 Ohio Ave. from January 2003 to Oct. 14, 2005, when the landlord evicted the business for defaulting on rent, according to Environmental Protection Agency documents.
The operators were locked out of the building, but the chemicals and hazards remained in the 1,800-square foot warehouse.
The site poses threats of direct contact, fire, explosion and release of hydrogen cyanide gas, according to an EPA Web site.
"Approximately 62 containers of various chemicals and/or wastes are stored haphazardly on pallets, on the floor, or stacked on top of each other," the Web site states.
After the company closed, the state Department of Environmental Protection conducted an assessment and found hazardous chemicals abandoned in the building. The DEP contacted the EPA, which determined that the chemicals needed to be removed to eliminate public health and environmental threats.
The DEP inspection revealed the presence of chromic acid, nickel salts solution, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and copper cyanide.
Over the next eight to 10 weeks, workers in protective clothing will remove all the hazardous chemicals and transport them to a certified disposal facility, EPA spokesman David Sternberg said. They also will monitor the air to make sure no gases are being released in the environment.
The EPA will keep a boundary around the site to protect neighbors from exposure, but someone will be available at the site from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to answer questions for the public.
(c) 2006 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Charleston Daily Mail
