Keyport residents angry after DEP report finds no cancer link to former landfill

☑️Keyport residents packed a meeting about a state investigation into a former landfill

☑️The DEP report found no indication that contamination from the site is affecting surrounding neighborhoods

☑️Additional sampling is needed in Union Beach

KEYPORT – Residents voiced their anger during a meeting about a state environmental report that found no indication that contamination from the former Aeromarine landfill is affecting surrounding neighborhoods.

More than 500 cancer cases have been reported in the Monmouth County borough, with Keyport Unity commemorating the cases by placing the same number of purple ribbons outside Keyport High School, according to NJ.com.

The 55-page DEP report, completed in conjunction with investigations by Excel Environmental Resources for the Borough of Keyport and SESI Environmental Consultants on behalf of a prospective buyer of the property, "has not found any indication that contamination from the Aeromarine site, which includes the landfill, is impacting surrounding neighborhoods."

The report examined contamination at the former Aeromarine site, which has been a source of concern for residents who fear the landfill may be connected to the area's cancer cases.

The landfill's history continues to fuel community concerns

DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said contamination was found, but not at levels high enough to make its way through vapor intrusion or groundwater, according to CBS New York's coverage of the meeting.

There was an exception to the findings in Union Beach, where some results were inconclusive and additional sampling is needed, according to the report. Otherwise, there was skepticism about the report.

"People have cancer. People have autoimmune disease. These people have reported stuff. They're not in danger?" resident Sal Liguori asked.

The Aeromarine site closed in 2010 but was never properly capped, according to an NJ.com report. The landfill has been linked to concerns about leakage into Raritan Bay, and dozens of cancer cases have been recorded nearby.

Proving that a cancer cluster was caused by a common environmental factor can be difficult because cancer is not uncommon. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in New Jersey, and one in three people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime.

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