Toxic Waste Dump Stuck On Street

A toxic waste dump has remained at the corner of Castor and Delaware Avenues in Philadelphia's Port Richmond section since 2004.

It's about the size of two football fields, and so big it can be seen from space.

The dump stands 50 feet high and is over 200 yards long. Beneath the heavy tarp is a huge pile of almost 70,000 cubic yards of hazardous waste and it appears it's not going anywhere, any time soon.

It is known as the Franklin Slag pile, located on a three-acre industrial site at Castor and Delaware avenues.

The EPA says it contains waste from the old Franklin Smelting And Refinery Company including aluminum, lead, chromium, cobalt and copper.

Although they have no scientific proof, people who live and work near here are convinced it's been the source of major illnesses.

There are at least a dozen police officers who worked this area, plus, people who have died from cancer or toxic chemicals in this area.

Bill Schreiber is a retired 24th district police officer who patrolled this area for 20 years.

He has a rare form of lymphoma and is convinced he and others were sickened by materials that blew off that site for years.

"All the money we spend on other stuff and it's still here. This is really a dangerous site," he says.

The EPA proposed putting a permanent cap on the site five years ago, then reopened discussions on a permanent cleanup.

The city and state stepped in and the EPA has now delayed a final cleanup solution.

A 2005 federal health study found employees who worked at this site may have been exposed to a public health threat, but the site today does not pose a hazard, although the study does admit more soil sampling needs to be done to be sure.

EPA admits that a cleanup "will not happen overnight."