Is the legacy of TCE pollution leading to Parkinson's in Ithaca, other NY communities?

Kindra Bell grew up in Ithaca, became an ice hockey stalwart spanning decades, and has grown to love the many trails along the gorges, which she called "a treasured resource."

In 2016, Bell was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, an early onset for a 46-year-old, and it forced her to slow down all aspects of her life, from the rink to her workplace lab.

“I’ve known that I’ve had it for nine years now," she said at her Fall Creek home in November. "I’m still doing all of the things I’ve always done, all of them at a slower pace. In getting ready to go to work in the morning and certainly hockey, I’m slower than I’d like to be.”

When she and her husband moved into their home in 2008, Bell was aware of the efforts to remediate chemical contaminants at the site of the former Ithaca Gun factory, but a recent report points to possible further health risks for those living downstream from the former factory site.

A report released earlier this year by an Ithaca-based firm that investigates former industrial sites for hazardous waste highlights a suspected link between high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) and Parkinson's, and warns people near several New York state sites are at risk, including those living near the former Ithaca Gun site.

Toxics Targeting also claims the state isn't doing enough to remediate those sites or alert nearby residents to the potential dangers, but the state agencies responsible for protecting the environment and public health dispute those claims, adding much of the data cited in the report is misleading.

The report, authored by Toxics Targeting President Walter Hang, also points to several other sites that he believes are especially troubling − the former IBM facility in Endicott, Elmira High School, Kodak Park in Rochester, and the former General Electric site in Auburn.

"Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have no idea they live on or near massive trichloroethylene toxic dumps that threaten their health," Hang said. "It is imperative that Gov. Hochul safeguard all New Yorkers by strictly enforcing New York's legal mandate to restore all trichloroethylene toxic dumps to 'pre-disposal conditions, to the extent feasible.'"

Bell, who graduated from Cornell in 1993 with a degree in nutrition, has changed her diet to help stifle the progressive brain disorder, which can cause difficulty moving, swallowing or chewing, unexpected emotional changes, and possible hallucinations, among many other symptoms.

She said although daily tasks like folding laundry or tying her shoes have become more difficult, she feels lucky to still be able to get on the ice and skate while she's not working as a lab technician at CU's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

"I do that once a week with a group of women who vary in ages from their 20s to their 70s," she said. “I’ll continue to do it as long as I can.

"The fortunate thing for me is that exercise is one of the best things that you can do if you have Parkinson's to help keep the symptoms from progressing quickly.”

Trichloroethylene is a nonflammable, volatile liquid that was commonly used for decades as an industrial metal degreasing solvent, and is still in limited use as a refrigerant and in dry cleaning.

Exposure to TCE is associated with several types of cancers in humans, especially cancer of the kidney, liver, cervix, and lymphatic system, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Liver, kidney, immunological, endocrine, and developmental effects have also been reported in humans, the EPA said.

Recent research highlighted by the American Parkinson's Disease Association indicates there may also be a link between TCE exposure and Parkinson's disease, a neurologic movement disorder that affects the brain and causes difficulty with movements or motor symptoms. The authors of the report stated that further research is needed to evaluate a possible connection between TCE exposure and Parkinson's.

Hang became interested in a possible connection between trichloroethylene and Parkinson's disease in light of circumstances at the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

The Gowanus Canal was built in the mid-1800s and was a major industrial transportation route. It's also one of the nation's most seriously contaminated water bodies, according to the EPA.

Among the pollutants is trichloroethylene, Hang said, exposing thousands of unsuspecting residents to health threats, including Parkinson's disease.

"The unfolding toxic health crisis in the beleaguered Gowanus Canal Area is a harbinger of TCE hazards in every major community in New York," Hang said.

Other sites highlighted in the Toxics Targeting report:

• Ithaca Gun: The former Ithaca Gun factory site on Lake Street in Ithaca has been on the state's radar for a while, especially due to high concentrations of lead present in surface soil, and chlorinated volatile organic compounds in groundwater. Hang says vapor intrusion from TCE is also a major health threat for area residents.
• IBM, Endicott: Industrial pollution, including the presence of TCE, has been widely known for several years at the former IBM site in Endicott. Hang claims state agencies haven't done enough to mitigate the problem, even though it was classified as a "significant threat to the public health or environment."
• Elmira High School: The school, known as Southside High School when it opened in 1979, was built on a longtime industrial site, and the state has worked for several years with the former owners to remediate the property. Cleanup efforts continue, although Hang believes the state is not addressing potential TCE contamination at the site.
• Kodak Park, Rochester: Environmental issues at Kodak Park are well-documented as the EPA and state agencies have worked for years with the photography giant on cleanup of a variety of industrial contaminants. The Toxics Targeting report indicates water that bubbled up through an unused parking lot contained TCE, vinyl chloride and other pollutants.
• General Electric, Auburn: GE operated a plant in Auburn that manufactured electrical components from 1951 until it closed in 1990. The site was contaminated with multiple volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene, acetone and methanol, according to the EPA. No further remedial action is planned, although Hang claims the contamination issue hasn't been resolved.

"There is no question that these sites remain massively contaminated decades after being reported to be public health and environmental threats," Hang said.

Dr. Ray Dorsey is a neurologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center and a nationally-recognized expert on Parkinson's disease.

The conclusions reached in Hang's study come as no surprise to Dorsey, who has done his own investigations and reports into the link between trichloroethylene exposure and the onset of Parkinson's disease.

TCE is a serious public health threat because exposure is not confined to those who work with the chemical, he concluded in one report.

"TCE pollutes outdoor air, taints groundwater, and contaminates indoor air," the report stated. "The molecule, like radon, evaporates from underlying soil and groundwater and enters homes, workplaces, or schools, often undetected."

Dorsey has reviewed Hang's findings and said they confirm many of his own fears.

"Trichloroethylene vapor intrusion is a huge risk for Parkinson's disease and cancer. There are hundreds of contaminated sites throughout New York state," he said. "Many people are likely breathing in these chemicals as we speak."

Dorsey also agrees responsible state agencies need to step up and do more to protect the public from the threat, and he said raising awareness of the potential hazards is a good place to start.

"If you live near one of these sites, don't you want to know?" he asked.

"This is all preventable. We've done this before," Dorsey added. "We got rid of lead in paint, in gasoline, all wonderful things that saved millions of lives. We need to keep doing it so we can all live healthier lives."

The New York State Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Conservation are the primary state agencies that investigate environmental and public health concerns at industrial brownfield sites, in collaboration with EPA.

The agencies are well aware of the health hazards associated with TCE for a wide variety of toxic effects and make every effort to thoroughly investigate and remediate sites known to be contaminated with this solvent, a Health Department spokesperson said.

There isn't enough data yet to make a definitive connection between exposure to TCE and the onset of Parkinson's disease, the Health Department said in a statement.

"While Mr. Hang is correct in that some studies have shown an association between Parkinson’s disease and TCE exposure, it is not known how much exposure it would take (both concentration and time) to materially increase the risk," the statement said.

One aspect that makes it difficult to track any link between TCE contamination and Parkinson's disease is that there is no requirement to report Parkinson's cases as there is for cancer, COVID-19, Lyme disease and other illnesses, according to the Health Department.

As a result, the agency has to rely on anecdotal evidence before initiating a more detailed investigation of reported clusters of cases in any particular location.

Health Department officials also disputed statements Hang made regarding Bell's home.

In 2014, state authorities reportedly detected trichloroethylene in the indoor air of the home at 12 micrograms/m³, or six times the current State Air Guideline, Hang claimed, but no action was ever taken to mitigate soil vapor intrusion at the home.

"This statement is incorrect. The home was tested in 2014 and the result of 12 ug/m³ of TCE was not in her home but in the soil gas underneath her home," the Health Department said. "TCE was not detected in the living spaces of her home, and therefore no further action was needed."

DEC likewise says it investigates contaminants in groundwater, soil, and soil vapor, and also evaluates the potential for soil vapor intrusion, and takes all steps necessary to ensure residents and communities are protected for the long term.

"Regardless of site use, DEC requires each site to be cleaned up to be fully protective of public health and the environment according to New York state’s stringent soil cleanup objectives that are established in conjunction with DOH and in accordance with federal standards and guidance from EPA," the agency said in a statement.

Before any kind of construction or redevelopment can begin on any contaminated site, remediation of the site must be completed and approved by both state agencies, DEC said.

Toxics Targeting has posted a list and map of documented trichloroethylene-contaminated sites around New York state.

To view the information, go to toxicstargeting.com/tce/check-to-see-if-you-live-near-tce-sites.

To learn more about trichloroethylene and risk management, go to epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-evaluation-trichloroethylene-tce-0.

Additional information about trichloroethylene and how the state Department of Health assesses and manages contamination can be found at health.ny.gov/environmental/chemicals/trichloroethene/index.htm.