Boston-State environmental officials have requested and received a positive response from ConocoPhillips on testing for radiation at a former phosphate producing site that Conoco operated between 1963 and 1967, when it was sold to condominium and marina developers. “ConocoPhillips has agreed to do the screening (for radiation) and is expected to submit a work plan which we are still waiting for,” Joe Ferson, spokesman for the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection, told Green Markets. Ferson said the state hasn’t had a lot of experience with this type of site and is relying on guidance from EPA on dealing with the 68 acres, which is called the Weymouth Neck hazardous waste site. ConocoPhillips engineers had reported that only fertilizer plants that used processes introduced in the 1970s – after the Weymouth facility was closed – were at risk for radiation pollution. But Stephen Johnson, deputy regional director for the state environmental agency, advised ConocoPhillips that radioactive materials can be associated with fertilizer manufacturing sites. “In light of this,” Johnson stated, “phosphate fertilizer factories are typically screened for radionuclides as part of the assessment of the site.” Although the company earlier had reported that cleanup had been competed and the site posed no significant risk to people living or working on it, the state responded on April 24 with the request for a work plan. The site includes a park, condominiums, a marina, and undeveloped property.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain