Clyde Cancer Cluster: Whirpool Will Test Samples At Old Park Site
Whirlpool Corporation announced on Monday, April 22nd that they will be taking samples at their former property, Whirlpool Park, and they will test those samples to see if there is a relation to the Clyde Cancer Cluster. The park was purchased by the company in 1953 and was used for recreational purposes for the company’s employees, families, and others in the community.
Whirlpool Corp. stated that they will take approximately 360 soil, surface, and ground water, stream sediment, fill material, and soil pile samples from the property near Green Springs. This sampling will begin in the second half of May, and will be paid for by the company.
Whirpool Corporation and Grist Mill Creek LLC, the company that purchased the property in 2008, are defendants in a class-action lawsuit that was filed last month. This lawsuit alleges that there is a connection between polychlorinated biphenyls found at the park, and the more than 35 childhood cases of cancer that exist in the Clyde area.
The testing will include an examination of the entire property, while concentrating on the areas in which there could be problems. Attorney Tom Bowlus is representing Grist Mill Creek and said that the steps involving clean-up efforts within the park depend on the findings from the samples that will be taken.
Whirpool Corporation has been working with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency voluntarily to address the concerns surrounding the old park.
