WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP, Minn. – A few weeks ago, Jim Pirie opened his mail and found a letter from Water Gremlin, the manufacturing company that operates within sight of his backyard.
The letter warned of potential chemical exposure to neighbors, accompanied by a color-coded map that showed his house in relation to Water Gremlin’s facility.
It was not great news.
“We are in the red,” Pirie said, referring to the part of the map that shows the highest exposure risk. “This is actually kind of a shock.”
Pirie learned that Water Gremlin had shut down some production in mid-January at the request of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which is now investigating the company for releasing unacceptably high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) into the air. Water Gremlin could owe fines for its conduct, pending the results of the investigation in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Health.
MPCA Industrial Division Director Jeff Smith said Water Gremlin first approached environmental regulators in July but did not reveal the full scope of the problems until January, when it agreed to halt TCE-related production.
Water Gremlin had previously used TCE during the production and cleaning of battery terminal posts. There is much debate at the national level about the role of TCE as an industrial chemical -- the Environmental Protection Agency even proposed banning some use of TCE as recently as January 2017.
TCE levels emitted by Water Gremlin may have exceeded Minnesota Department of Health standards since at least 2002, Smith said, due to faulty pollution control equipment that deteriorated more quickly than expected.
A map provided by the agency indicates that dozens of people within about a 1.5-mile radius could have been exposed to the high levels of TCE. The area stretches from I-35E all the way east to Goose Lake and White Bear Lake, a region that includes several neighborhoods, four parks and an elementary school.
The MPCA is not aware of any illnesses related to the TCE exposure yet, but elevated levels of the chemical can increase likelihood of certain types of cancer over a lifetime.
“Our concern,” Smith said, “is that this has had some health impacts to people.”
Smith said inspectors did not catch the high TCE levels because the chemical is odorless and difficult to detect.
The MPCA is still trying to determine when the company realized it had equipment issues related to TCE collection.
“We expect that a facility as sophisticated as they are,” Smith said, “ought to know when their pollution equipment is not working.”
A public relations representative for Water Gremlin declined an on-camera interview, but he issued a statement on behalf of Carl Dubois, the Vice President of International Manufacturing.
“We apologize for the concern and inconvenience this has caused. The safety of our employees and neighbors continues to be our number one priority. We are working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to permanently resolve the issue and switch to an alternate solvent that is not a hazardous air pollutant,” Dubois said. “We will not restart our operations until we are in full compliance with MPCA requirements.”
Water Gremlin opened in 1949 and employs about 300 people in the Twin Cities. In addition to battery terminal posts, the company also produces fishing sinkers.
In front of an auditorium full of people on Thursday evening, MPCA officials fielded questions from residents in the first of two public meetings at White Bear Lake Area High School’s North Campus. There was a considerable amount of frustration among neighbors, who pressed regulators for nearly two hours.
Pirie hasn’t panicked yet – nor does he harbor animosity toward the company – but he said he’ll ask his doctor about the long-term impacts of exposure at his next visit.
“It’s important to a lot of people around here,” Pirie said, “especially those who have children next door, and especially any woman who is pregnant needs to be concerned. So, there’s more to find out, but it’s a concern.”