Contamination cleanup is a must

With the university's recent acquisition of the Chrysler plant comes serious worries over its past.  A 2008 report shows that the 272-acre site has at least 12 known areas of contamination. They range from chemicals used in paint thinner to arsenic and PCBs. Many of these chemicals are above state-regulated levels, and federal agencies say some have been linked to cancer and other medical problems.

These chemicals are a serious issue the university must now deal with. Although the university has yet to make an official comment, there is one fact that needs to be stressed by the community—this cleanup needs to be held to the highest of standards.

Students, faculty and administrators that will be working on the new campus have to be assured that harmful chemicals no longer exist under their feet. This can only come from an extensive and, hopefully public, effort to strip the land of all toxins.

With the initial $24.25 million purchase, additional costs of demolition and cleanup are sure to be great. However, a moral responsibility to public safety should be the number one priority.

Cleanup should be a process accurately and easily communicated by the university to Newark communities. The liability involved in chemical contamination cleanup is huge. A future campus site with arsenic detected in groundwater samples is a frightening thought but hopefully with careful and hard work, any danger can be avoided.