EPA confirms News 4 Investigates' findings of elevated radioactivity in Niagara County homes

[00:00:00]Do you understand this is a very dangerous situation?

[00:00:04]Do you?

[00:00:07]>> All right, well, outrage and frustration during a public meeting in Niagara Falls last night as people in Niagara County, as you could see, demanded answers about elevated radiation levels in their neighborhoods. Frustrations, as you could see, came to a boil as residents let off their steam as they continued to grow concerned about their health and their homes.

[00:00:30]>> News 4 Investigates producer reporter Dan Telvock has done extensive digging.

[00:00:34]Dan, you were at last night's clearly intense hearing.

[00:00:37]>> Yeah.

[00:00:37]>> What did you take away from that?

[00:00:39]>> Well, I took away from it that people were just really upset. And I And I you know, it happened almost immediately.

[00:00:45]And so, those that were there that wanted to get answers are didn't get them. And I don't know if they ever will because I don't know how you can have a meeting that isn't going to be like that. I mean, it's it's just these people are galvanized and they're and they're not going away.

[00:00:59]And they want answers, they want action, you know, and uh that's what happened last night, you know? It was It was uh it was rough.

[00:01:09]>> And let's remind people of what the issue is. There's radiation that's being found in in under multiple homes in the city of Niagara Falls. And not only that, but in the town of Niagara as well, which you learned about and your analysis, your testing has triggered the state DEC and the EPA to take further action.

[00:01:30]>> I believe so. I mean, Chris Broadbent, our photojournalist, we and myself went out with a licensed engineer.

[00:01:37]Um and we eventually got access to two of the homes and we found it inside. It was It was elevated inside. Kitchen, you know, uh living room floors. And we don't know where that source was coming from. So, I My question was, all right, well, we found this. The very next day, the EPA had crews there to test inside those two homes, and they ended up testing all four of the homes, and they confirmed our findings in those two homes, right?

[00:02:05]So, the question is, is testing in if they find properties that had elevated levels outside, is part of this now going to be getting inside?

[00:02:15]Now, they kind of told me that that was part of the program, but they hadn't been inside any homes until we've had our findings. And like I said, the very next day they went in them.

[00:02:26]So, I asked uh the EPA administrator Region 2 about this and whether or not they were going to get in homes now every time they find elevated levels, and this is what he he said to me about that.

[00:02:39]>> So, Dan, the the program was designed by experts in this field, scientists, uh health physicists, you know, folks at EPA and DEC that um you know, designed a program that helped point to places, areas of interest. So, absolutely part of our program moving forward is going inside people's homes. And when the data warrants, you know, we we're again, we're talking about screening data, not lab testing data, we're acting immediately, right? So, that screening data is coming in from people's yards, people's homes. One of the reasons we came here today uh requesting people give us more access as we stand ready to get into those places into the yards, into the homes, collect that screening data, and make real-time decisions based on not lab data, but screening data about whether or not people can stay in their homes.

[00:03:21]>> Now, we just heard a little bit there, uh but Dan, you and I were chatting last night, and I I can't help but be reminded of the reporting that I've read extensively about, you've read extensively about, everybody here in Western New York knows, Love Canal. And just the contentious meetings that came out of that.

[00:03:36]>> Mhm.

[00:03:36]>> Where do we go from here, especially with this history that we know here in Western New York?

[00:03:42]>> Well, I know that having community meetings like that is going to be really tough. It's just going to be tough.

[00:03:49]So, they're moving forward. They have to begin the process of finding more of these properties and starting cleanup.

[00:03:55]And they actually have an excavator one of the four homes that they're relocating people at. So, it's beginning. You know, and it and it when they get to that point, it's going to start moving fast and you know, so that's the goal. They got to get in there, find all these properties, do the testing, and then go in and clean it up.

[00:04:12]>> Is there any indication as to how long that could last in terms of surveying these homes?

[00:04:18]>> I I believe they said it's going to take couple of months, maybe. I mean, it could I mean, they can't do much in the winter. So, it's going to take probably through the rest of this year before it gets cold in winter. And then they should have a good number of properties that they need to start you know, cleaning up. So, it could take a year to get some of these properties all said and done cleaned up.

[00:04:40]>> All right, investigative reporter and producer Dan Telvock. Thank you as always. We know you'll stay on top of it.

[00:04:45]>> Yeah, definitely something that we will continue on and you will be able to hear from Dan as well coming up on News 4 at 5. So, thank you for being here.

[00:04:52]>> Thank you.

[00:04:53]>> In other news,