JACKSONVILLE– Federal and state health agencies say the Fairfax Wood Treaters hazardous waste site is still too polluted for people to live on based on data reviewed in a new draft report. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) estimate that arsenic still in the soil could lead to skin cancer in future residents. They recommend that no one live on the site until the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completes its cleanup.

Florida DOH and ATSDR also recommend people not eat fish from the stormwater retention pond on nearby Moncrief Creek because it receives runoff from this site and other sources. The report determines, however, that ground water use and the soil in people’s yards near the site are not likely to cause illness.

The 12-acre Fairfax Street Wood Treaters site is at 2610 Fairfax Street in northwest Jacksonville, next to the Tolbert Elementary School. Between 1980 and 2010, the site owners used arsenic and other chemicals to make pressure treated wood. In 2011, EPA began their cleanup by removing 77,000 gallons of abandoned wood treatment chemicals. In 2012, EPA added this site to the nation’s most polluted list. EPA is now deciding on how best to clean the soil.

On January 15, Florida DOH mailed a summary of its draft report to 750 nearby residents and others. The draft report is available on-line at:https://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/hazardous-waste-sites/health-assessments.html.

Health officials will hold an open house meeting for the public on Thursday, January 29 at the meeting room of the Duval County Public Library - Dallas Graham Branch at 2304 N. Myrtle Avenue within a mile of the site. It will be an informal opportunity for residents to learn more, give their health concerns and get answers to their questions. Attendees may come to the open house at their convenience any time from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Public comment on the draft report is due by February 9, 2015.

The Department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.floridahealth.gov.

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