El Cajon residents address community contamination

From 1963 to 1985, aerospace manufacturing company Senior Aerospace Ketema secretly dumped thousands of pounds of trichlorethylene (TCE) on their property in El Cajon, San Diego County, CA. The chemical, known to cause kidney and liver cancer, contaminated the groundwater beneath three mobile home parks, one elementary school, and hundreds more buildings and homes adjacent to the facility. Toxic TCE vapors have entered the soil, crawl spaces, and indoor air of some homes in the mobile home parks. Families should never be exposed to toxic chemicals in their own homes. CEH began working with the community in 2017. After going door-to-door and talking to residents, CEH partnered with residents and acted on their request to file a lawsuit. A legal agreement requiring Senior Aerospace Ketema to hand deliver or mail warnings about TCE pollution and provide $20,000 to the community was finalized in June 2020. Since becoming involved in the case, CEH has partnered with members of the community to co-facilitate educational meetings, including a February 2020 community meeting in which senior officials from the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) addressed concerns about the pollution. Following the settlement agreement, CEH continues to provide technical assistance to community leaders and help inform residents about the cleanup process and free indoor air testing offered by DTSC.