EPA Officials to Detail Plans for Testing, Cleanup of DDT

Plans for extensive testing in a South Bay neighborhood contaminated with DDT will be outlined tonight at a public meeting organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Federal officials also will answer questions about two nearby toxic waste sites, potential health effects and the agency’s plans for cleanup.

The meeting was prompted by the discovery this spring of DDT-laced fill in at least two back yards north of West 204th Street between Normandie and New Hampshire avenues in an unincorporated area east of Torrance.

The EPA has excavated the two back yards and will test neighboring yards to determine the extent of the contaminated fill.

News of the contamination unleashed a public controversy, and some residents have complained of ailments such as nausea and headaches that they believe are linked to chemical contamination.

In response, agency officials will report tonight on plans to test indoor air and tap water in some homes. They plan to check for chemicals from two nearby toxic-chemical sites: Montrose Chemical Corp., which is a former DDT-manufacturing plant, and the Del Amo Study Area, once the site of a synthetic rubber manufacturing plant.

Montrose is a federal Superfund site, and the Del Amo site is a nominee for the Superfund list, which includes the nation’s 1,200 most hazardous toxic waste sites.

The forum will begin with an open house from 6 to 7 p.m., in which residents can talk one-on-one with representatives from the EPA, county and state health agencies, potentially responsible companies and a community action group.

The public meeting will run from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Both events will be at the Van Deene Elementary School auditorium, 826 W. Javelin St., near Vermont Avenue.