Previously ignored contaminant haunts Atlantic City building again

When work began on Atlantic City’s Public Safety Building in 1996, the Department of Education ordered the city to remove contaminant perchloroethylene from the property.

The city agreed, but a recent report from city attorneys said the “bare minimum” was done.

The contaminant likely comes from the dry cleaner that formerly occupied the space, and could case skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, memory loss, liver and kidney damage and cancer, as the Press of Atlantic City reports.

To determine if the threat of exposure is real, the city must now pay for an initial $200,000 assessment. It will be covered by an environmental grant. The 24-hour assessment is set for Saturday, and results should be available next week.