Franklin Slag Pile Added to EPA National Priorities List
Date Range
September 12, 2001 – 2002
Title
Franklin Slag Pile Added to EPA National Priorities List
What occurred
MDC Industries, a company based in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia sold copper slag as a sandblasting material until it ceased operations in 1999. After MDC closed down, it abandoned a pile of slag measuring 68,000 cubic feet at the intersection of Castor and Delaware. This slag was found to migrate off the lot into surrounding areas and runoff ran into storm drains. Measurements from the EPA determined that the slag contained "leachable concentrations of lead up to 36,900 micrograms per liter," and it was observed that the pile was releasing lead into the air as well. The pile is about 1/4 mile from the Delaware river, 1/4 mile from a densely populated residential area, and it directly borders a water treatment plant. In the zipcode which contains the pile, 1 in 3 people live beneath the poverty line. In the neighborhoods closest to the pile, up to 60% of children live in poverty. These neighborhoods are mostly white and Latinx. The pile was capped in 2002, but no further actions have been taken by the EPA.
Location
Port Richmond, Philadelphia, PA
Image Citation
Google maps
Student name(s)
Clara Iodice