Putting projects on a “Dirty Dozen” list may be a good way to attract attention, but in the case of two Maine facilities, it isn’t accurate. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the Toxics Action Center from including the West Old Town landfill and Bangor’s Griffin Park housing complex as part of its “Dirty Dozen” for 2004. According to the group, these places rank among a foundry, nuclear power plant and a coal-fired cement plant as the 12 most toxic sites in New England.

With regard to the landfill, which no group protested until last year when plans were announced to expand it, the Toxics Action Center claims the dump is leaking. Examinations by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have determined that this is not the case. The group also claimed that levels of cadmium, phosphorous and manganese that exceeded federal standards were found in groundwater monitoring wells. According to Casella Waste Systems, which now operates the landfill, there is a record of an excessive cadmium reading in 1992, four years before the landfill opened.

The concentrations of phosphorous and manganese, both naturally occurring elements, are relatively low at the landfill and, in fact, higher concentrations are found at locations upstream from the landfill, according to Casella.One reason the group put the West Old Town property on its list is to protest its conversion from a dump for paper mill waste to a municipal landfill. Logically, however, it is better to have the facility managed by a company specializing in waste handling rather than one focused on making paper. Casella has already invested considerable time and money in improving the landfill to ensure that toxins aren’t released into the ground and atmosphere.

The group’s claims about the Griffin Park complex are equally dubious. The Toxics Action Center claims that illnesses, including cancers, may be linked to mold in the apartments and runoff from the nearby airport. No one has reported cases of cancer to the Bangor Housing Authority, which owns the complex. Further, Bangor International Airport and the Maine Air National Guard base have installed a drainage system to capture and clean de-icing chemicals that had been running into Birch Stream, which flows near the housing complex.

Because of residents’ concerns, the Maine Bureau of Health had proposed to do a health survey of those who live at Griffin Park. However, the bureau could not find enough people to participate, perhaps an indication of a lack of concern.

There have been real pollution issues at both Griffin Park and the West Old Town landfill, and with useful public prodding over many months, there has been real progress with either adding pollution controls or conducting more thorough testing. The center claims that groups of scientists selected the sites on the list. They may have, but with the coincidence of the sites of the sites being in the news and their appearance on a “Dirty Dozen” list looks and smells like something other than science.