Information you need to know

Officials from the United States Environmental Protection Agency went door-to-door Tuesday handing out information sheets concerning the removal of radioactive waste from seven sites owned by Strube Inc. in Columbia, Mount Joy, Marietta and East Donegal Township.

According to Trish Taylor, community involvement coordinator for the EPA, the two-page handout informs residents within walking distance of the Strube sites about what is contained in the seven warehouses, health and safety concerns, information on what the cleanup of the sites will be and who to contact for more information.

The United States EPA is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in accessing and overseeing the cleanup of the seven sites in Lancaster County. The warehouses store miscellaneous items, including old aviation dials and instruments with radium paint, a mixture of combustibles and devices containing mercury. Taylor said the company is required to remove the radium containing items and “decommission” the warehouses.

Three of Strube’s facilities are located in Columbia and there are two in Marietta. The other two warehouses are located in Mount Joy and East Donegal Township, Taylor said.

Taylor said the EPA has developed a web site to address the Strube cleanup effort: www.epaosc.net/Strube.

For other information, contact the EPA at 215-814-5539, DEP at 787-2480, or the Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency at 664-1200.