The conclusion by a special task force that the former Allied Chemical Co. deliberately didn't tell Baltimore officials how much arsenic was in Swann Park and where it came from confirms the company's culpability in what was, essentially, a cover-up. The company's failure to disclose the seriousness of the park situation underscores the importance of a thorough public examination of this case and the need to give more urgent attention to other hazardous sites around the city.
Allied operated a plant next to the park where children played routinely, especially on the baseball fields. In early 1976, concern about a pesticide, kepone, also led to the formation of a task force and closing of the park. That task force was presented with evidence that arsenic levels in the park were acceptable, but the company's own tests showed dangerously higher levels. Since the task force was not as focused on arsenic, it allowed the park to be reopened within a few months.
In hindsight, it's fair but easy to conclude that the earlier task force should have pressed Allied for more of its test results or ordered more tests on its own. But the company willfully failed to correct the mistaken belief by local health officials that arsenic levels in the park were low and that the likely source was a weed killer that was sprayed routinely by city workers. In fact, the arsenic was coming through holes in smokestack filters at the company's pesticide factory next to the park.
The current task force, headed by the city's health commissioner, Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, conceded that in the 1970s, the chemical industry "rarely disclosed its own testing data to agencies or the public." There were also no cleanup standards at that time. Thus, Dr. Sharfstein's task force was not surprised by Allied's actions. But, in the first of an expected series of reports, it rightly stated that what the company did was not acceptable.
In the early 1980s, federal and state Superfund laws were enacted to deal with situations like Swann Park and Allied. But enforcement at both levels has lagged in recent years. As a city with a long industrial history, Baltimore has many residential areas that may have been jeopardized by their proximity to hazardous substances.
Continuing high levels of arsenic in Swann Park's soil caused the city to close the park again after the current revelations surfaced three months ago. Swann Park should inspire the city and state to become much more serious about cleaning up other dangerous sites.