Varian Claims Tests Reveal 'No Significant Risk' At Contaminated Site

BEVERLY, MA — Representatives from Varian, the company that formerly owned a contaminated property site at 150 Sohier Road in Beverly, said an evaluation of soil and air quality around the site determined it posed "no significant risk" to most residents and businesses in the area at a community meeting Wednesday night.

The company said that additional evaluation of indoor air is needed for one residence and one business to confirm that assessment, and allowed that there is "potential future risk" for construction workers exposed to groundwater in one specific area of the property, according to a report released on the website created to provide progress updates on site assessment and cleanup efforts.

Varian has been charged with cleaning up the hazardous chemical site for 30 years with high levels of groundwater chemicals still detected in some locations on the property.

The Phase II conclusion called for continued soil extraction to "mitigate potential indoor air risk on property" in the nearby residence and one business and for the development of a management plan to prevent potential future risks for construction workers.

The Phase II Comprehensive Site Assessment Addendum was presented to a crowd of a few dozen residents, as well as streamed online, and was designed to describe the current understanding of site conditions, including the chemicals that were released, whether those chemicals may have moved into the soil, groundwater, surface water or air, and how those chemicals may risk human health and the environment.

Several residents in attendance expressed skepticism about the evaluation and the true level of risk in the area.

As of Thursday, Varian opened a 20-day public comment period on the assessment with a response to public comment to follow. Comments can be directed here to Raymond Cadorette at Raymond.Cadorette@aptim.com or at 151 Royall Street, Canton, MA, 02051.

Following the conclusion of the Phase II assessment period, a Phase III period will begin to "evaluate cleanup methods and present a proposed updated cleanup approach."

The next public meeting on Phase III will be scheduled for January.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)