An Elkhart County organization is working with researchers to better understand the impact of contamination on local homes. The Elkhart County Environmental Council and Purdue University discussed their efforts during a community meeting Saturday.
The county has seven Superfund sites, with six of those in the city of Elkhart. While contamination typically stems from industrial uses, pollution plumes in groundwater can migrate into residential areas, and the area's porous soil can allow fumes to enter buildings.
“On at least two occasions, it was residents conducting tests on their own property that subsequently resulted in designating the location a Superfund site,” said Sherrie Steiner, an environmental sociologist with Purdue University Fort Wayne.
The Community-Engaged Alliance has provided funding to collect samples of private well water and indoor air, and test for volatile organic compounds. Researchers plan to put out a survey to help collect site recommendations.
In high levels, volatile organic compounds can lead to headaches, nausea and dizziness, while long-term exposure can cause liver and kidney damage, neurological issues and an increased risk of cancer.
Even if these pollutants are found, there are steps residents can take. "Just because you find out you have a positive test result doesn’t mean you necessarily have to move," said Mark Datema, founder and president of the Elkhart County Environmental Council. "Getting a vapor mitigation system can kind of evacuate some of those toxic fumes."
Datema started the organization last year, after learning about pollution from the former Conn Band Instruments site near his family’s home in Elkhart.
Now, the organization is also looking to help connect people to free resources that may be available from the Environmental Protection Agency, like mitigation systems and testing. “In our experience in canvassing, we found a lot of people who were unaware that that was the case, some that mentioned, maybe, they got it in the mail but threw it away because it seemed, maybe, unrelated to what they had going on,” Datema added.
The study also aims to educate residents about environmental issues and give them a chance to share their stories about the impact of pollution.
