Mill neighbors raise pollution concerns Residents: Emissions from plant causes damage to homes, cars Sayreville residents are concerned about emissions and noise they say is coming from a neighboring steel mill in the area of Crossman Road and Main Street. The emissions and smoke from Gerdau Ameristeel Sayreville Inc., they claim, are causing damage to vehicles and even the aluminum siding on their homes. "My car, I come out in the morning and it looks like it went through a mud storm," said Wilber Terrace resident Tim Eppinger. Eppinger, who lives less than a half-mile from the plant, said he regularly finds black, metallic dust that is peeling the paint off his car. "Every single night, all of our cars and houses are covered in it," Eppinger said. " ... We are just looking to get somebody to acknowledge that something is going on." Their concerns were the subject of a meeting Monday night at borough hall, when the residents met with the borough Environmental Commission and representatives of Ameristeel. While the company did not take responsibility for damage to residents' properties, they pledged to work with the community and the Environmental Commission on any concerns. The company said in a statement that it is working on a program to reduce dust emissions in the community. Eppinger said he recently collected dust from the surface of his automobile and had it analyzed by STL Edison, a laboratory that provides environmental analytical services. According to correspondence provided by Eppinger, the lab found that the dust is an iron with several other hazardous air pollutants in it, including mercury, lead, nickel, chromium and arsenic. The lab correspondence goes on to say that the likely source of the dust is the mill, which was cited for exceeding the allowable mercury emissions in 2005 and for exceeding the allowable opacity limits multiple times in 2005 and 2006. Eppinger said his neighbors also complain about black material found on their property and damage to the aluminum siding of their homes. He said he is concerned about other forms of emission and that he has seen yellow gas and white fog coming from the mill during the day. "The yellow stuff has a sickly, burning smell," Eppinger said, noting that noise can also be heard coming from the mill as late as 11 p.m. Timothy R. Tarantino, environmental manager for Gerdau Ameristeel, was in attendance at Monday's Environmental Commission meeting at borough hall, along with Ameristeel Manager of Environmental Affairs Luis Nieves and Corporate Environmental Manager Robert J. Downie. "We are the largest employer in the [borough] right now," Tarantino told several residents who live by the mill at the meeting Monday. Officials from the Environmental Commission and the Middlesex County Health Department were also in attendance. Tarantino told the Suburban that the mill in Sayreville makes several products, including reinforcing bar for handrails and concrete that is used for bridges or curbs. The reinforcing gives concrete its strength, he said. "It is all recycled material. We are one of the largest recyclers in the state," Tarantino said. Tarantino said the county did not tell Ameristeel how many residents have raised concerns about emissions. "They tell us when an anonymous complaint was made," Tarantino said. "Every once in a while I'll talk with a neighbor." Tarantino said he has worked for Ameristeel for 15 years and has seen the company maintain an environmentally friendly attitude through several different owners. "We try to be a good neighbor," Tarantino said. "Nobody is perfect. If we do get [a complaint], we try to act on it." Tarantino said at the meeting that transporting trucks that go in and out of the mill are required to be covered, adding that the current apparatus the mill uses to keep the roads clean is a new water-based sweep vacuum. Borough Engineer David Samuel noted that since the trucks drive through town to get to Route 18, a site preparation facility should be implemented to help loading trucks avoid potential problems with dust particles and other material going into the air. "The Environmental Commission doesn't care what you have to do to it," Samuel said. "Make sure you don't put it in the air." Tarantino responded that certain cranes are not allowed to operate during windy conditions, in order to avoid problems with slag being released into the air. Tarantino later said that Ameristeel cannot be held responsible for the condition that truckers leave their trucks in. Samuel disagreed, saying that a site management plan should be implemented to make sure that trucks leaving the mill are clean. "You can require that trucks [get] washed off before they leave the plant," Samuel said. Modzelewski Terrace and Horseshoe Road are two roads Samuel cited as being more vulnerable to emission problems due to wind patterns. "Modzelewski and Horseshoe Road need monitoring by the mill itself," Samuel said. "We are very serious. Something has got to be done to give residents some kind of relief." Tarantino reiterated Ameristeel's pledge to the community. "We want to be a good neighbor," Tarantino said. "We don't want this to happen." In regard to slag dust Eppinger collected, Tarantino said the bag Eppinger provided did not have enough material to be tested. "It was well under an ounce," Tarantino said. "[It was] a little baggy he brought me in September." "It was a black, fine, powdery substance," Tarantino added. "It didn't look like it came from our plant." He noted that there are other potential sources of pollution in the vicinity. The Middlesex County Utilities Authority (MCUA) has an incinerator in the area, Tarantino said, and there is a Superfund site located at Horseshoe Road. Samuel said however that the predominant winds do not blow emission from the MCUA incinerator. Tarantino responded that Ameristeel will know more once it has implemented a weather station that is being purchased. He added that the company is also implementing a noise monitoring station. Ronald Green, vice chairman of the Environmental Commission, told the representatives from Gerdau Ameristeel that he is not concerned with the fines that the company has had to pay the DEP for violations, but in ensuring there is no problem for residents. "The Environmental Commission is not interested in these fines," Green said. "We are interested in the neighbors' complaints getting cleared up." The commission is in the process of setting up an appointment with Ameristeel to take a tour of the site. Gerdau Ameristeel issued a written response to inquiries from the Suburban regarding emissions. The company said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DEP establish emission limits to ensure protection of human health and the environment. "The Gerdau Ameristeel Sayreville mill has a rigorous environmental management system to monitor emissions and notify the company of any issue so that we can take prompt corrective action." The company also wrote that it is working to reduce dust emissions by implementing advanced environmental controls, reducing the amount of materials stored outside, increasing the use of water sprays to reduce dust, onsite speed-limit controls and initiatives to plant trees and shrubs. "Gerdau Ameristeel cannot speculate as to the origin or type of material that may have been found on nearby property," the company wrote. "Gerdau Ameristeel is continuing to work cooperatively with the Sayreville Environmental Commission and its neighbors as they look into this issue." The plant dates back more than 30 years, and was run by Co-Steel before that company merged with Ameristeel, Gerdau Courtice Steel and Gerdau MRM Steel in 2002. Eppinger said the noise and pollution-related problems in his neighborhood have gotten worse over the past six months. "Something, in my opinion, should be done," Eppinger said. "They say that they want to be good neighbors, but they are not."