Whirlpool Corp. is seeking additional testing for toxic chemicals in Fort Smith and the area Boys & Girls Club based on new contamination findings.
The Southwest Times Record reports Whirlpool spokesman Jeff Noel told youth club directors Tuesday that the company is seeking permission to test for trichloroethylene. The chemical is linked to increased cancer risks.
Noel says monitoring equipment has discovered the chemical in local groundwater but not soil. He says further testing is needed to determine if contaminants migrated under a road and onto the club property.
The company's former plant in Fort Smith used trichloroethylene as a degreasing solvent from the 1960s through the early 1980s.
The youth club's board has agreed to accommodate environmental testing at the location, which is used for baseball and soccer.
