diaz chemical

40 JACKSON ST. AREA A

The 5-acre Diaz Chemical Corporation site is bounded on the north by Jackson Street, where both residential parcels and a parcel of land owned by Diaz Chemical, which includes a parking lot and a warehouse, are located. To the east, it is bounded by residential parcels on South Main Street. To the south and west, it is bordered by Conrail railroad tracks, and beyond that by undeveloped land and a group of buildings that are now vacant. The site is located about 25 miles west of Rochester and 50 miles east of Buffalo. The nearest municipal drinking water supply well is located 0.66 mile south of the site. The property was initially developed as an industrial plant in the 1890s and was used primarily for tomato processing and cider vinegar production before being purchased by Diaz Chemical in 1974. Diaz Chemical was a manufacturer of specialty organic intermediates for the agricultural, pharmaceutical, photographic, color and dye, and personal care products industries. The Diaz Chemical product line varied over the years of operation but primarily consisted of halogenated aromatic compounds and substituted benzotrifluorides. The Diaz Chemical facility has a long history of spills, releases and discharges of various materials to the environment that dates back to about 1975. An accidental air release occurred on January 5, 2002, when a reactor vessel in a process building overheated, causing its safety valve to rupture and release approximately 75 gallons of a chemical mixture through a roof stack vent. The release consisted primarily of a mixture of steam, toluene, and 2-chloro-6-fluorophenol as well as related phenolic compounds. The splash zone for the release extended northeast from the facility into the neighboring residential community. Soon after the release, people complained of acute health effects such as sore throats, headaches, eye irritation, nosebleeds, and skin rashes. As a result of the release, residents voluntarily relocated from some of the homes in the neighborhood to area hotels with assistance from Diaz Chemical. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through federal actions.

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