N J Attorney General Anne Milgram and Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Mark N. Mauriello announced on Thursday the state has reached a settlement with PPG Industries, Inc. that will result in the clean-up of chromium contamination at a property once owned by PPG in Jersey City, as well as the clean-up of numerous other chromium-tainted sites throughout Hudson County.
According to the settlement, the company will remediate soil and sources of chromium contamination at property along Garfield Avenue in Jersey City within five years. PPG also agreed to complete remediation at 13 other chromium-contaminated sites in Jersey City, Weehawken and Bayonne.
Chromium is used in a variety of industrial applications including metal plating, the manufacture of stainless steel and the production of colored glass. The waste produced from chromium processing is a pollutant found to be a cause of cancer.
“This is a major settlement, and is the culmination of years of intense investigative work and litigation on behalf of our citizens and our environment,” Milgram said.
Acting DEP Commissioner Mark N. Mauriello also hailed the decision.
“I grew up in Jersey City and know firsthand the frustration felt by people who have had to live with chromium contamination,” Mauriello said.