Chemicals are cool, but they can be scary as well. After suffering through a year of general chemistry, I learned that some chemicals can be very useful in various industrial and biological processes and that some are toxic to humans.

Unfortunately, some chemicals have both these properties – in particular, polychlorinated biphenyls once used in manufacturing processes as an ingredient in cooling oil for electrical transformers have been found to cause neurological problems in humans. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency classifies them as a probable carcinogen.

On the east side of Madison, PCBs have been found in soil samples near the facilities of Madison Kipp Corporation. Another chemical, perchloroethylene, was used as an industrial solvent, and is believed to cause cancer in humans. PCE has been detected in vapor, soil and water samples near the Kipp facilities, and testing is underway to determine whether groundwater wells in the area have been contaminated. These discoveries led to an angry letter from the Department of Natural Resources and heightened concern from neighborhood residents, who are worried about their health.

Madison Kipp Corporation produces machinery at a factory on the east side. The company has been based in Madison for over 100 years, but the past 17 years of its history have been marked by ongoing disputes over air, water and soil contamination. These chemicals were not banned while they were in use at the Kipp facilities, so the company was not in violation of any laws. But Kipp’s handling of the cleanup process has been called into question. A letter the Wisconsin State Journal published from DNR remediation supervisor Linda Hanefeld to the Kipp Corporation said, “the fact is, there is heightened neighborhood concern about your site … We hope your lack of response is not an indication of a lack of urgency.” According to the DNR, Kipp is required to begin extensive soil testing and cleanup.

Neighborhood residents are concerned about the toxic chemicals leaking into groundwater and seeping into homes as vapor. Resident Lance Green told the State Journal, “Of course, myself and the neighborhood association are very concerned about the health of our neighborhood, and the health of our neighbors and the health of our water that we’re drinking,” adding, “We think that Madison Kipp should be responsible to clean up their mess.” A federal lawsuit against the company filed by neighborhood residents was granted class action status last week. The lawsuit includes 80 plaintiffs living near the corporation’s facilities and charges that the company released toxic chemicals and failed to adequately clean them up.

The people who live near Kipp Corp.’s factory on the east side have been needlessly put at risk. Spills such as this should never occur in the first place, whether a chemical is harmful or not. The thing is, chemicals are to be assumed harmful until proven otherwise, and never released into the outside environment. The fact that industrial solvents and coolants ended up in the soil and groundwater near Kipp Corp. demonstrates a serious lack of precaution on behalf of the company. Since the PCBs and PCE have been found in soil, water and vapor samples, the company has been slow to comply with the demands of residents and the DNR, though it is legally – and ethically – the responsibility of Kipp Corp. to take care of any chemical contamination it may have caused. It is shocking to see a corporation so reluctant to deal with the fact that it is the cause of a serious public health concern – even in the face of explicit demands from state regulators and a federal class action lawsuit.

The PCBs and PCE contamination in east Madison is not only an issue of environmental health – it is a concern for the way industry interacts with the community. The least Kipp could do would be to comply with the demands of neighborhood residents and take control of the cleanup process, rather than be dragged through it by the DNR. The company could demonstrate to the community that it empathizes with the neighbors whose lives it impacts on a daily basis, whether for better or for worse.

Charles Godfrey ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in math and physics.