Officials seek new, expanded health study in wake of discovery of chemical drums under Bethpage park

Officials have called on the New York State Department of Health to conduct a new and expanded health study after the recent discovery of chemical drums buried beneath the former Grumman dumping ground at Bethpage Community Park.

A letter signed by Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, State Sen. Steven Rhoads and Assemb. Jake Blumencranz dated Thursday urged the agency to “immediately prioritize this study and allocate the necessary resources to ensure its thorough execution.”

Grumman manufactured aircraft and spacecraft on a 600-acre property in Bethpage from the 1940s to the 1990s, and the park was one of the locations where the company dumped hazardous waste that contributed to a vast groundwater plume that continues to move south on Long Island. 

The request from the three Republicans comes after 22 concrete-encased drums containing carcinogenic metals and organic compounds Grumman Aerospace used in manufacturing were unearthed in the ballfield area of the park in April and May. Years earlier, regulators said, "buried drums do not exist beneath the park.” More scans searching for additional drums are underway. 

“Our residents need a full, comprehensive study that gives them an assurance that they're getting the facts,” Saladino said in a phone interview Saturday morning, adding that a “new, intensive, updated” study will provide greater transparency on the impacts of historic contamination.

The state health department conducted a cancer evaluation study, released in 2013, that found cancer rates were not higher than expected in a 19-block area near Bethpage Community Park.

The letter Thursday addressed to health department commissioner James McDonald requested the state “greatly expand” the geographic scope of any new study — a request the agency rejected in 2013, saying it would dilute results and that its findings didn’t warrant further investigation.

Monica Pomeroy, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said the agency is reviewing the letter “while continuing to evaluate options for further public health evaluation work in the Bethpage community.”

“Contamination has been thoroughly investigated and exposures have been stopped for more than 10 years for soil vapor and 36 years for drinking water,” Pomeroy said in an emailed statement. “The Department will also continue monitoring the mitigation system so that the community can be rest assured they have everything in place to protect their health.”

She said the buried drums discovered earlier this year have “not and will not affect drinking water supplies,” though the department continues to test public water.

Blumencranz said the past study is over a decade old, adding, “I think it's important to see empirical data with multiple data points to show either a trend or an issue or nonissue when it comes to the pollutants in the community.”

Rhoads said residents in the area impacted by the plume "have the right to feel safe in their homes, have the right to know what risks there are."

Northrop Grumman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Elected officials, advocates and residents have long called for a more expansive study to determine if the plume borne from the operations of Grumman and the U.S. Navy operations in Bethpage is linked to negative health effects. Experts have said that process is difficult and not often successful. 

Danny Commerton, 60, of nearby Island Trees, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and is still undergoing treatment. He said he used to run cross country at Bethpage Community Park.

He said an expanded study that includes areas outside the immediate vicinity of Bethpage Community Park would be a “major stride” in providing assurances to residents about the impacts of the toxic dumping.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ