EPA Extends Relocation Aid to Residents of DDT Area

Federal officials announced Thursday that 25 families in a Torrance-area neighborhood will be kept in temporary housing for up to six months at federal expense while investigators examine DDT soil contamination that is more extensive than previously thought.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also will study whether families should be permanently moved from the neighborhood east of Torrance where chunks of DDT have been unearthed in two back yards, John Blevins, an EPA section chief, said at a Thursday night meeting.

It marked the first time that the agency has discussed permanent relocation as a possible response to the discovery of DDT behind two houses on West 204th Street.

“It has more merit now because the DDT is more widespread than we thought,” said Blevins, who cautioned the families present that any decision on permanent relocation is months away and that such a move would be highly unusual.

If officials find that the DDT can be cleaned up satisfactorily, families may be able to return home in less than six months, he said.

About 90 residents were moved into hotels as the cleanup began April 29. They were scheduled to return to the neighborhood late next week.

Many residents expressed relief at the news that they will not be returning immediately to their neighborhood, particularly since some have complained of health problems such as rashes, nausea and vomiting that they fear could be related to the contamination.

Community activist Cynthia Babich, who has criticized the EPA repeatedly in recent weeks, grinned and shook Blevins’ hand after the announcement.

“I am in shock,” Babich said later. “It sounds like they are going to take the time to attack this problem logically and get it taken care of.”

The Thursday meeting came almost two weeks after cleanup workers first uncovered chunks of light powder two to three feet underground that later tests found were largely DDT. EPA officials say the banned pesticide appears to be scattered in fill soil that may extend east under more homes.

To date, the cleanup work and relocation have cost about $500,000. The source of the pesticide is unknown so far.