Hexavalent Chromium in Punxsutawney

After discovering hexavalent chromium inside the former Berlin Metals building in Punxsutawney, the Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the property’s owners to prevent people from entering the building until it's safe. DEP has been investigating groundwater and soil and conducting a cleanup project in the neighborhood since 2006, but last month found material seeping through cracks in the concrete floor and learned it was hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, which you may recognize from the movie "Erin Brockovich." The building at 400 Walnut Street formerly housed the electroplating company Berlin Metals. Its last occupant vacated the property several months ago. The building is owned by Punxsutawney residents Columba M. and Anthony J. Runco and the Runco Trust.

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