Day 010 - 11 Jul 94 - Page 49
1 to do with the possibility that a package itself can in
contact with certain types of chemicals, substances that
2 are in a landfill, for example, tolurene (?) will dissolve
the foam and the foam can move into what is called
3 leeching or into the ground water through the leaking of
this material out of the landfill.
4
Q. So it may become part of some kind of chemical soup that
5 leaks out of the landfill?
A. Yes. The potential, based on the research that I have
6 conducted, that that is definitely a possibility. It is a
reasonable -- I think that it is reasonable to assume that
7 it can happen. It is noted that it does turn up in
hazardous waste dumps as a product, but I am not -- that
8 is as much as I can say about that.
9 Q. So either it does not biodegrade, it stays there forever
or, if it does, it is because it interacts with other
10 chemicals and then could leech out into drinking -- well,
into the water table?
11 A. That is right.
12 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Has there ever been any evidence of styrene
in rivers or bore holes or anything of that kind?
13 A. I can state that I am aware of studies which indicate
that it is present in hazardous waste site disposal
14 facilities that are or were at one time solid waste
landfills.
15
MR. MORRIS: So as styrene that it would leech out or would it
16 become something else when it interacts?
A. I guess I would have to say that the science on that,
17 as far as I know, is somewhat -- in general, it would
remain as styrene, but what else it might, what else might
18 happen to it in the presence or interaction of other
chemicals, I cannot say.
19
Q. Is there any monitoring of landfill, in general, federal
20 or statutory monitoring?
A. Yes, now landfill, solid waste landfills, are required
21 to be monitored. Monitoring wells are required to be
installed.
22
Q. This monitoring, firstly, would it be effective in
23 information terms and would it be effective in terms of
action if there were any health risks?
24 A. Sorry?
25 Q. Is this monitoring that is done now, is this a recent
phenomenon, monitoring landfills?
26 A. Relatively.
27 Q. I think a witness stated that last week as well. But if
this monitoring that is being done, now would it be
28 effective in terms of really knowing what the situation is
in each landfill?
29 A. Well, monitoring wells are only located in specific
locations around the landfill, and once there is something
30 detected in a particular well, it is somewhat difficult to
pin-point where that material came from, where leak in the
