Queens side of Newtown Creek must be tested too

In the years following the 1978 Exxon oil spill which dumped an estimated 17 million gallons of oil into the Newtown Creek, testing for chemicals and pollutants in the Queens neighborhoods that bordered the Creek - Maspeth, Hunters Point and Dutch Kills - has never been performed.
After a recent study by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) found elevated levels of cancer-causing benzene and methane gas near homes in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one local politician thought that Queens neighborhoods, which border the Creek to the north and east should be tested as well.
Councilmember Eric Gioia has called on the DEC to immediately expand soil testing as well as tests for cancer-causing gases to the Queens neighborhoods bordering Newtown Creek.
&#8220We must find out what dangers lurk beneath the surface of our borough,” Gioia said. &#8220For too long, the people of Queens have been in the dark about the real effects of this spill. Like our neighbors in Brooklyn, we deserve to know how this environmental disaster could impact our health and safety.”
Although contaminants are less likely to seep into the soil of bordering Queens neighborhoods than Brooklyn - the spill occurred on the Brooklyn side - the oil and other materials could have spread through the soil underneath the Creek to Queens in the 28 years following the spill, said Basil Seggos, Chief Investigator for Riverkeeper, an activist organization that cleans New York waterways.
Local lawmakers also charged that the cleanup effort, which had not begun until 1990, has been sluggish, possibly further endangering local residents. Until testing is done, Queens residents remain uninformed of the potential risk, Gioia said.
In July, Gioia became a co-plaintiff in the 2004 Riverkeeper suit against the oil company under the federal Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The case is still pending.