FORMER EXIDE TECHNOLOGIES LAURELDALE

As of April 2026, the Former Exide Technologies Laureldale (Exide) Superfund site is considered ‘Current Human Exposure Not Under Control’ (HENC). The Exide site is currently in the characterization phase of the remedial process, with the Remedial Investigation (RI) ongoing. The goal of this phase is to study and document the nature and extent of contamination at the site. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selects this Human Exposure status when complete human exposure pathways between groundwater, soil, surface water, and/or air media have been reasonably identified based on sampling data, and those pathways are not within acceptable limits under current conditions. The media pathway suspected to be complete at the Exide site is soil that is contaminated by heavy metals due to former battery smelting operations nearby. The primary contaminant at this site is lead (Pb). The pathway to human exposure is likely occurring through interaction with soil in private residential yards or public green spaces. Sufficient data has been collected by EPA through incremental sampling of soil that has shown some properties are above the screening guidelines released by EPA Headquarters in October 2025. Out of an abundance of caution, if you live near this site, please find resources to reduce risk of lead exposure on the Exide Superfund Site Profile Page (www.epa.gov/superfund/exide-laureldale), or from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (www.pa.gov/agencies/health/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning). For community members in proximity to the site (Laureldale Borough and Muhlenberg Township) please contact [email protected] for additional information about soil sampling. The use of Time Critical and Non-Time Critical Removal Actions (TCRA, NTCRA) are currently being evaluated for use to control human exposure at properties above the Removal Management Level (RML) of 600 mg/kg. Additional properties above the Residential Screening Level (RSL) of 200 mg/kg will likely be cleaned up through a Remedial Action. The reasonably anticipated date of HEUC is not until 2032 at the earliest due to the number of properties that will require cleanup.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selects this Human Exposure status when complete human exposure pathways between groundwater, soil, surface water, and/or air media have been reasonably identified based on sampling data, and those pathways are not within acceptable limits under current conditions. The media pathway suspected to be complete at the Exide site is soil that is contaminated by heavy metals due to former battery smelting operations nearby. The primary contaminant at this site is lead (Pb). The pathway to human exposure is likely occurring through interaction with soil in private residential yards or public green spaces.

Sufficient data has been collected by EPA through incremental sampling of soil that has shown some properties are above the screening guildelines released by EPA Headquarters in October 2025. Out of an abundance of caution, if you live near this site, please find resources to reduce risk of lead exposure on the Exide Superfund Site Profile Page (www.epa.gov/superfund/exide-laureldale), or from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (www.pa.gov/agencies/health/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning). For community members in proximity to the site (Laureldale Borough and Muhlenberg Township) please contact [email protected] for additional information about soil sampling.

The use of Time Critical and Non-Time Critical Removal Actions (TCRA, NTCRA) are currently being evaluated for use to control human exposure at properties above the Removal Management Level (RML) of 600 mg/kg. Additional properties above the Residential Screening Level (RSL) of 200 mg/kg will likely be cleaned up through a Remedial Action. The reasonably anticipated date of HEUC is not until 2032 at the earliest due to the number of properties that will require cleanup.