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\n Radiation probe expands across Niagara and Erie counties
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Officials said crews visited more than 380 properties on Sunday, speaking directly with residents and requesting access to conduct radiological screening. More than 80 new property access agreements were signed throughout the day, both in person and through a newly established call center.<\/p>\n
Joint DEC and EPA teams screened 56 private properties Sunday and continued surveying additional sites Monday.<\/p>\n
After field surveys are completed, officials said the data is reviewed and validated by DEC and EPA experts to determine whether further investigation is necessary. Where additional assessment is warranted, soil samples are collected with the property owner’s permission.<\/p>\n
State officials also said they remain in contact with residents who have been offered voluntary temporary relocation while investigations continue.<\/p>\n
The ongoing assessments stem from historical records indicating radioactive material likely originated from waste produced by metallurgical companies in the Niagara region. According to the DEC, the material was used decades ago as fill beneath roads, driveways, parking lots and homes. Officials also say some material could be connected to waste generated during the Manhattan Project, the World War II-era program that developed the first atomic bomb.<\/p>\n
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said residents’ concerns are understandable but emphasized the importance of allowing scientists to complete their work.<\/p>\n
“Hearing the word ‘radioactive’ makes the hair on the back of everyone’s neck stand up,” Restaino said. “The key now is to let the science determine the extent of the contamination and what mitigation opportunities exist.”<\/p>\n
Restaino said environmental teams are already conducting testing at several properties in the Town of Niagara and expects additional activity in the City of Niagara Falls in the coming days.<\/p>\n
He noted western Niagara County has a long history of heavy industry, manufacturing and defense-related projects, making thorough environmental investigations essential.<\/p>\n
“We need knowledge before we can make smart decisions,” Restaino said. “Once we understand what we’re dealing with, we can determine how to best help affected property owners.”<\/p>\n
Restaino also addressed comparisons to Love Canal, saying while both situations involve environmental contamination, the current investigation appears to involve different types of materials and potential risks.<\/p>\n
“I don’t necessarily think this is at that level,” he said. “But for homeowners receiving this news, it’s understandably frightening. That’s why the testing and science are so important.”<\/p>\n
The mayor encouraged residents to sign property access agreements if approached by DEC or EPA officials, saying comprehensive testing is critical to determining the scope of any contamination.<\/p>\n
Officials are also working to distinguish between radioactive materials potentially associated with Manhattan Project-era activities and naturally occurring or industrial radioactive materials contained in slag, a byproduct of metal manufacturing that was historically used in construction.<\/p>\n
Residents with questions about the ongoing radiological assessments can call the dedicated Niagara and Erie County Radiological Assessment hotline at (518) 712-8279, available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Property owners can also request an assessment or submit an access agreement by emailing NECRA@dec.ny.gov.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"State and federal environmental officials say radiological assessments are continuing across Niagara and Erie counties. More homeowners agree…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137],"class_list":["post-253572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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