Northrop Grumman/Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant Facilities

Health Consultation

The New York State Department of Health, in partnership with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, prepared a Health Consultation for the Northrop Grumman/Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) facilities located in Bethpage, Nassau County, and Calverton, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.

The health consultation was prepared in response to a specific request for information about health risks associated with exposure to contaminants in groundwater that originated from the Northrop Grumman/NWIRP facilities. The New York State Department of Health evaluated the available historic and recent analytical data on regulated contaminants in public water supply wells and area monitoring and irrigation wells to determine if ingestion (drinking), inhalation, and dermal contact exposures could cause harm to human health. Based on this evaluation, the New York State Department of Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry have the following health advice:

  • Currently, drinking or other uses of water from the public water supplies affected by the Northrop Grumman/NWIRP facility in Bethpage, Nassau County, is not expected to harm people’s health.
  • Past use of drinking water contaminated with trichloroethene from the Bethpage Water District Well 6-1 could have increased the risk for noncancer adverse health effects. Past long-term ingestion and inhalation exposure to tetrachloroethene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane in Bethpage Well 6-1 is unlikely to have harmed people’s health.
  • Past use of drinking water contaminated with trichloroethene in the other public water supplies (other than Bethpage Well 6-1) affected by Northrop Grumman/NWIRP facility in Bethpage is unlikely to harm people’s health.
  • While exposures to facility related contaminants through the use of unpermitted private wells were possible, such exposures are unlikely.
  • Currently, drinking or uses of water from public water supplies in Calverton, (Suffolk County), is not expected to harm people’s health.
  • Past use of drinking water from the Peconic River Sportsman Club private well (Suffolk County) is unlikely to harm people’s health.

For copies of the Health Consultation, Factsheet, or other questions, please contact the New York State Department of Health at 518-402-7860, email us at beei@health.ny.gov, or write to us at this address:

Center for Environmental Health
Bureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation
Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1787
Albany, New York 12237

A copy of the Health Consultation is also available at the following locations:

Bethpage Public Library
47 Powell Avenue
Bethpage, NY 11714
ph: (516) 931-3907
River Free Library
330 Court Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
ph: (631) 727-3228

This report is also available at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website.

For More Information

The New York State Department of Health encourages the public to sign up to receive up-to-date site information through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation email listserv. It’s quick, it’s free, and it will help keep you better informed. As a listserv member, you will periodically receive site-related information/announcements for all contaminated sites in the counties you select.