Research News

Tonawanda Coke study kicks off with soil sampling

Citizen scientists will conduct about 300 soil samples from sites near the Tonawanda Coke plant. The samples will be tested using a state Department of Health-certified laboratory and cutting-edge soil-analysis techniques at UB and SUNY Fredonia to determine the impact that emissions from Tonawanda Coke have had on the surrounding environment.

By CORY NEALON

The investigation into how air pollution emissions from the Tonawanda Coke plant may have affected nearby soil kicked into gear today with a gathering of elected officials, community organizers and scientists from UB and SUNY Fredonia.

The event — at the River Road Volunteer Fire Co. in Tonawanda — included citizen scientists taking the first of about 300 soil samples from sites in the town and city of Tonawanda, the village of Kenmore, Grand Island and the city of Buffalo that surround the plant.

“The situation surrounding Tonawanda Coke speaks to the importance of the Environmental Protection Agency and the critical difference residents can make in fighting for their community,” said Rep. Brian Higgins. “The soil study, a collaboration between various levels of government, the community, local businesses and the University at Buffalo, will provide further clues about the lasting impact of the company’s negligent actions and give us insight to make informed decisions moving forward.”

Joseph Gardella Jr., SUNY Distinguished Professor and John and Frances Larkin Professor of Chemistry at UB, who is leading the study, said UB and collaborators from SUNY Fredonia and Citizen Science Community Resources (CSCR) will implement citizen science-based soil sampling in the city and town of Tonwawanda, parts of Riverside, Black Rock and North Buffalo, and parts of Grand Island.

“The soil samples will be tested using a state Department of Health-certified laboratory and cutting-edge soil-analysis techniques at UB and SUNY Fredonia to determine the impact that emissions from Tonawanda Coke have had on the surrounding environment,” Gardella said.

Jackie James-Creedon, executive director of CSCR, credited community activists with prompting local authorities to examine Tonawanda Coke.

“If it wasn’t for a small group of people believing that they could make a difference — and actually getting off their couches, going outside and doing something about it— none of this would have happened,” James-Creedon said.

The $711,000 study — officially known as “Determining the Environmental Impact of Coke Oven Emissions Originating from Tonawanda Coke Corp. on Surrounding Residential Community” — is a collaboration between members of UB’s Department of Chemistry, SUNY Fredonia’s Department of Chemistry and CSCR.

The soil study, along with a separate $11.4 million effort also led by UB researchers, was ordered by a federal judge after Tonawanda Coke Corp. was found guilty of violating the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The health study aims to determine how Tonawanda Coke emissions may have affected the health of nearby residents and employees. Coke oven gas contains a number of toxic chemicals that are potentially hazardous to health, including benzene, a known carcinogen.