Six empty drums of the banned insecticide chlordane were found
during grading for the Comstock Homes project on Ellwood Mesa; the
soil beneath one of the drums contained amounts well in excess of
Environmental Protection Agency residential standards. Chlordane,
which was formerly used to eliminate termites, was outlawed in 1988
after it was shown to damage several organ systems. The drums –
some lidless and rusted – may have been there for the past 30
years, according to city officials. Although the drums were found
in December, City Council received a report on them just last week.
Tests since the city excavated 75 square feet of soil have found
only trace amounts of the pesticide.
