In the city of Billerica, Massachusetts, concerns have been raised over the course of the last several months about the safety of Iron Horse Park. Members of the Board of Health believe that pentachlorophenol, a chemical used to treat utility poles being stored at Iron Horse Park, is causing a strange odor. Nearby residents are concerned that long-term exposure to the chemical, which was also used as an herbicide and pesticide, could be detrimental to their health.

The company storing the utility poles, McFarland Cascade, has offered to start using a new cleaning formula to treat the poles, as well as to phase out the out poles. Still, board members are frustrated by the amount of time it will take to resolve this issue.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency conducted tests on 120 soil samples from the site, and also uncovered asbestos at the site. Exposure to even a small amount of asbestos is considered unsafe, according to EPA guidelines. Mesothelioma is one result of asbestos exposure. In some cases, those exposed to asbestos develop the rare cancer as many as fifty years after being exposed. There is no cure, but there are mesothelioma treatments that can improve the patient’s quality of life temporarily, including drugs, surgeries, and chemotherapy. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, as well as thousands more around the globe.

Additional sampling will be conducted at the site later this fall, and then again in the spring. However, it is expected that only small amounts of both asbestos and pentachlorophenol will be found during this additional rounds of testing.

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