BISHOPVILLE, S.C. — The cleanup continued in Bishopville on Friday evening after 250 gallons of contaminated transformer oil spilled days earlier. The spill stretches about five miles from rural neighborhoods through the downtown area.
At the end of the week, cones were still in place to detour drivers from areas where environmental contractors were taking soil samples and burning off the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)- contaminated oil waste.
Bishopville Mayor Luke Giddings said residents should expect these detours to last for the next day or two, maybe past that.
"And a lot of it's still a lot of question marks … They are continuing to do testing and I think they are continuing to look into it, while we are also cleaning it up. That way we know that we cleaned it up correctly and know the full extent of what's being dealt with," Giddings said.
According to Dr. Adrienne Oxley, a chemistry professor at Columbia College, repeated and prolonged exposure to PCBs is cause for concern.
"The big concern when there is rain is that this is on a roadway, and it sounds like they are doing what they need, proper protocols to be able to contain this spill," Oxley said. "But when you do have the rain, there's the potential for the chemicals to end up in the soil and in the ground water. And once it's in the ground water, of course it can travel to other waterways."
Some locals said they trust local authorities to clean up.
"Fortunately, the road is crowned going away from us," Bishopville resident Mike Adams said. "The only thing that would be an issue is there are creeks that run near the road, and those would be flushing through going out into the fields."
News19 is still awaiting an incident report from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety Transport Police about this chemical spill. Environmental lawyer Alexander Shissias said the cleanup cost falls to whoever is responsible for the chemical and the spill.
"There is liability for cleanup costs that pertains to the owner, the operator, and anyone who arranged for the disposal of the waste," Shissias said.
He said that a person could be charged in civil court for not complying with the chemical transport protocol, but the behavior has to be deliberate to be handled in criminal court.