DEP Finds No Cancer Link To Former Keyport Landfill

KEYPORT, NJ — On Tuesday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the long-awaited results of its investigation into the Keyport cancer cluster.

The state said it found no evidence that the former Aeromarine landfill site impacted surrounding neighborhoods.

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"The DEP's investigation (has) not found any indication that contamination from the Aeromarine site, which includes the landfill, is impacting surrounding neighborhoods," said the state of New Jersey.

You can read the 55-page DEP report here.

The report was unveiled to the public Tuesday night at a packed Keyport community meeting. At that meeting, many residents said they were unhappy with the state's findings, or do not trust them, according to NJ.com and CBS News.

There have been more than 500 reported cases of cancer in Keyport, in what's being referred to as the "Keyport cancer cluster." More than 28 of those cases are on one street near the former Aeromarine landfill, which closed in 1979.

Residents speculate that the cancer may be caused by the former landfill, which has never been fully remediated or properly capped.

NJ.com was the first to report on the Keyport cancer cluster last spring. After their report, the state of New Jersey said it would launch an investigation.

The DEP spent the past five months collecting soil gas and ground water samples in neighborhoods in Keyport and Union Beach. Those sames were tested for what the state calls "volatile organic compounds," or chemicals that can cause cancer.

"We truly understand Keyport and Union Beach residents' concerns about the health and safety of their town," said DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak.

Potosnak said contamination was found, but not at levels high enough to cause concern. Contaminants were found in the shallow groundwater of the landfill — "as we all expected, but not at levels high enough to intrude into homes and businesses," he said.

He said the Keyport test results were satisfactory, but additional testing is still needed for some of the samples taken from Union Beach (see page 8 of the report).

Drinking water was eliminated as a concern because Keyport drinking water comes from a municipal aquifer that is routinely tested, said the state (page 5 of the report).

For more information, please go to dep.nj.gov/keyportlandfill