Velsicol Chemical Corporation

The Velsicol Chemical Corporation in Gratiot County, Michigan was designated a Superfund site in 1983 and its current status is on-going. The area was contaminated by DDT and polybrominated biphenyl. Gratiot County's population in 1983 was 39,602 people.

The Velsicol Superfund Site is located at 500 North Bankson Street, St. Louis, Michigan, 48880. The contamination has affected the Pine River as well, which stretches from St. Louis to Midland. The site is northeast from Alma. The Superfund site spans 54 acres.

The population of the area in 2020 was 7,010 persons. The distribution of age in the population is 3% under 5, 9.8% under 18, and 10.8% over 65. 65.2% of the population are White, 27.4% of the population is African American, 0.5% are Asian, 0.2% are Native, 8.4% are Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% are two or more races. The median household income is $47,662. The education level of the population is 86.8% with a high-school diploma and 9.1% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The average number of people in a household is 2.36. While I could not find any health information on the city's population, I do know that DDT and PBB can cause sooner puberty in women and cause higher risk for miscarriages.

The population of St. Louis was 4,323 persons in 1990. Despite my best efforts, I could not find any more information for the population of St. Louis before 2000.

While there is not much to go off of, there was an increase in population in the gap of 30 years. This most likely means that each section discussed above increased from what they could have been in 1983 when Velsicol was first declared a Superfund site. This means that there are more people that would like to see the area clean and free of contaminants.

DDT or dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, was a synthetic insecticide from the 1940's. When in the air, DDT spreads to other areas quickly and can cover long distances. When in the water, DDT is picked up by all living creatures and DDT spreads throughout the food chain. DDT does not dissolve in water. When in soil, DDT can be slowly broken down by microorganisms, but this process takes 2-15 years to only break down half of the DDT that can be found in soil. DDT's effects on human health are not completely known but in large amounts DDT can cause vomiting, tremors or shakiness, and seizures. It can also affect the liver and reproduction.

PBB or polybrominated biphenyl was used as a fire retardant in fabrics and plastics. In the air, PBB can become attached to airborne particles and travel long distances. In the water, PBB does not dissolve easily, and binds to soil and sediment particles. In the soil, PBB binds to soil particles and can easily enter the atmosphere. PBB does not have any known effects on humans, as further study is required. Animal studies have shown that PBB's effect the thyroid, liver, and brain development.

Since the mid-1800s, the Superfund site was used for lumber, oil refinery, and a salt plant. It began its use as a chemical manufacturing plant in 1936. Velsicol made PBBs and DDT, before DDT was banned in 1972. The plant was demolished in the 1980s by the EPA and labeled it as a Superfund in 1983. After some concern from the community, the EPA returned and started to work on the site again in 1998. The work is on-going as of 2024. The original owners of the site, Michigan Chemical Corp., thought that opening up shop on a riverbank was a terrific idea, and ended up contaminating most of Michigan in the process. To discuss governance at the time of the site, local government most likely did not have much authority over industry operation other than zoning and permits. The regulations most likely fell to state and federal agencies like the EPA. The state agencies most likely had poor funding and resources and were unable to fully cover every single industrial property, allowing corporations like Velsicol to slip through the cracks. Velsicol was considered a Superfund site in 1983 due to the extreme contamination of the property and the surrounding land and water.

Velsicol Chemical Corp. is still a Superfund site and is in ongoing remediation. Cleanup of the site has included the removal of sediment from Pine River, soil cleanup in resident's yards, and soil and water treatment. The EPA funded a replacement of St. Louis' water supply, making sure residents have clean drinking water. In October of 2022, in-place thermal treatment occurred. Then excavation and off-site disposal of 100,000 tons of contaminated soil. The EPA anticipated that the excavation would be finished by fall of 2023, while they expect restoration of the area to be finished by 2024. In 2024, a sheet pile wall will be installed around the edge of the site and excavation of the Pine River floodplains and banks will begin.

The news covering Velsicol ranged from the local to the national level. Many Michigan news groups covered the issue. There has been news coverage of it since the issue began in 1983. Here are multiple articles referring to the situation below.

I believe that the community of St. Louis carried the biggest unfair burden of all the affected groups. The most vulnerable of this group was the community of St. Louis. This is because they knew after the EPA left the first time, there were still contaminants in their own backyards. They lived with the fear of not knowing the effects the contamination would have on their bodies, their children, and the community. They were promised that the effects would be temporary, instead they have permanent "No Swimming" and "Do Not Eat the Fish" signs. Residents have suffered so much from the contamination, not to mention the many farms all over the state who received Velsicol's PBB instead of their cattle feed, subsequently poisoning the state if not the country. Many St. Louis natives have spoken out about the remnants of the site, such as Norm Keon, who remembers when Velsicol Chemical first harmed his city.

The townspeople are pushing for the restoration of their home.

This family lost their main source of income and was told that the contaminants would be out of their bodies in a week.

In order to achieve justice for the residents of St. Louis, the EPA needs to stick to their promised schedules, keep residents in the loop, and research what the health effects of DDT and PBB are. No person should have to wonder what health issues could arise from a substance that should not have entered their body in the first place. Industries need to be held accountable for their mismanagement and should have to aid in the funding of the cleanup. They should be able to swim, fish, and enjoy the city and river that is their home, not fear it. They should be able to grow their family without wondering if they have a toxic amount of contaminants in their tissue that would harm an innocent newborn child. They should be able to let their children play outside without worrying the literal land they own could poison their babies. No human being deserves to worry about any of this. What Velsicol did was unjust, what the government allowed Velsicol to get away with was unjust. I would not be surprised if the residents of St. Louis had no trust in their government or the EPA and I am genuinely hoping that the EPA sticks to their word about the progress they will be working on in 2024. The environment is not here for ignorant corporations to destroy.