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Industrial site is leaking toxic chemicals into Grand Prairie homes. When will it be cleaned up?

The chemicals can cause cancer, harm fetuses, irritate the respiratory and central nervous systems and damage the liver and kidneys.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it is working on a plan to clean an industrial site leaking cancer-causing chemicals to dozens of Grand Prairie homes.

A public meeting to discuss the plan and timeline is scheduled for February, although a date has not yet been set, a city spokeswoman said.

Roughly 80 homes in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Burbank Gardens are affected by the toxic chemicals.

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Yet a recent report by KERA found that many of the residents in Burbank Gardens knew nothing of the toxic site or the ongoing health threat.

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Once occupied by defense contractor Delfasco Forge, the 1.1-acre property was placed in 2018 on the Superfund National Priorities List, which includes some of the nation’s most polluted sites.

Tests have shown that Trichloroethylene, or TCE, which is a degreaser, contaminated the soil, then seeped into the groundwater and vaporized into the air.

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Delfasco Forge, which made practice bombs for Navy and Air Force pilots and other machinery, used TCE to clean equipment.

In addition to causing cancer, TCE can harm fetuses, irritate the respiratory and central nervous systems and damage the liver, kidneys and immune system.

The Grand Prairie plant, at 114 N.E. 28th St., closed in 1998. In 2008, Delfasco Forge filed for bankruptcy, in part because of liabilities from the contamination.

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Residents told KERA they have long dealt with strange smells inside their homes and foul-tasting water, but many knew nothing of the toxic site.

“They kind of forgot about this area,” Robert Molina, 56, who lives in the neighborhood, told KERA. “A lot of us are from low-income families and so we never heard.”

The EPA and the city said they have worked to communicate with residents through letters, door knob hangers, in-person meetings, phone calls and emails.

Of the 81 affected homes, 34 have allowed the installation of a vapor mitigation system provided by the EPA, said Cindy Mendez, the city’s director of public health and environmental quality.

Outreach efforts paused from March 2020 to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mendez said. City officials plan to contact owners and tenants in the affected area to encourage them to attend the February meeting.

“The city continues to advocate for its residents,” she added.