Press Release

July 6, 2009
SENATOR CARDIN VISITS FT. DETRICK FOR BRIEFING AND TOUR OF EFFORTS TO CLEAN UP CONTAMINATED LANDFILL SITES


FREDERICK —
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today viewed remediation efforts to cap contaminated landfill sites at Fort Detrick.
  In June, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) announced that it had approved plans to cap six landfill sites on Area B, which are contaminated with biological waste, testing materials, and chemical and herbicidal waste.
  



 


“This contamination is historical in nature and is not related to current activities. I applaud Fort Detrick, the MDE and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for coordinating cleanup efforts and moving forward with plans to cap these contaminated landfills,” said
Senator Cardin, who is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and who also chairs the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee.
  “Fort Detrick is our nation’s premier
biomedical research and development facility, and I am committed to ensuring that the contamination at Ft. Detrick is fully addressed, that remediation efforts are ongoing, and that the community’s health and safety is assured.”




 



The Senator added: “I also applaud the April announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency that it has added the Area B Groundwater site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), paving the way for the Department of Defense (DoD) to finalize the cleanup of contaminated groundwater at Fort Detrick.”



 


Fort Detrick consists of three non-contiguous tracts of land: Areas A, B and C, totaling 1,230 acres. From 1943 through 1969, Fort Detrick was the nation’s center for offensive and defensive biological warfare research.
 In 1969, President Nixon signed an executive order that prohibited offensive biological warfare research.
  Defensive biological research continues at Fort Detrick.

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