What's lurking next door? Investigation reveals chemical hazards near North Jersey homes

NorthJersey.com
Updated ·3 min read

After an 11-alarm fire swept through the old Majestic Industries factory site in Passaic, threatening to reach 3 million pounds of chlorine products and other hazardous chemicals stored in the adjacent Qualco factory, NorthJersey.com decided to study the threat risk of sites that store such chemicals in the region.

There are 159 such sites in the more industrial towns in Bergen and Passaic counties, and many lie within a few hundred feet of homes, schools and entertainment venues.

Our seven-part series "Hazards Next Door" includes an interactive map of the sites, including the chemicals stored at each and their health risks, as well as stories that look at firefighter and hospital training for hazmat events, town evacuation plans, how to prepare if you live near such a site, why some facilities are so close to public housing, and North Jersey's long history of industrial disasters.

Interactive map of North Jersey hazmat sites

Interactive map of 159 sites in parts of Bergen and Passaic counties that store hazmats on site.
Interactive map of 159 sites in parts of Bergen and Passaic counties that store hazmats on site.

NorthJersey.com’s interactive map of facilities that store hazardous materials includes 159 sites in 21 towns. Many are within a few hundred feet of homes, schools and public housing. READ MORE

Explosive, flammable, carcinogenic: NJ neighborhoods put at risk by the hazards next door

An 11-alarm chemical fire blazes across the Passaic River in Passaic, NJ on Friday Jan. 14, 2022.
An 11-alarm chemical fire blazes across the Passaic River in Passaic, NJ on Friday Jan. 14, 2022.

A NorthJersey.com investigation found that 159 facilities store more than 600 potentially hazardous materials in the region, from acetic acid to zinc phosphate. Some can burn the eyes, throat and lungs. Some are flammable. Many neighbors have no idea what’s stored nearby. READ MORE

How NJ firefighters train for hazmat events that can kill 'in an instant’

Paramus Police Chief Ken Ehrenberg is also a member of the Paramus Fire Department in Paramus, N.J. on Friday Jan. 6, 2023.
Paramus Police Chief Ken Ehrenberg is also a member of the Paramus Fire Department in Paramus, N.J. on Friday Jan. 6, 2023.

The state requires two weeks of training for members of volunteer and paid departments who want to put out hazmat fires. Many towns rely on regional hazmat teams because training is costly and time consuming. READ MORE

Why are chemicals stored near affordable housing developments?

The January 2022 fire that destroyed old industrial buildings at the Majestic Industries-Qualco site in Passaic occurred just a few hundred feet from the red brick towers of the Alfred Speer Village public housing complex, seen at the top of this photo.
The January 2022 fire that destroyed old industrial buildings at the Majestic Industries-Qualco site in Passaic occurred just a few hundred feet from the red brick towers of the Alfred Speer Village public housing complex, seen at the top of this photo.

A number of public housing complexes with thousands of residents sit adjacent to facilities that store hazmats in North Jersey. That puts people with fewer resources at greater risk. READ MORE

How to prepare for disaster if you live near stored chemicals

Emergency management experts say residents should prepare a home emergency kit to use if they ever have to evacuate or shelter in place. Items should include a battery operated radio, external charger for cellular devices, bottles of water, canned food, flashlights, duct tape and first aid kit.
Emergency management experts say residents should prepare a home emergency kit to use if they ever have to evacuate or shelter in place. Items should include a battery operated radio, external charger for cellular devices, bottles of water, canned food, flashlights, duct tape and first aid kit.

Here are the items that emergency planners say you should have in a home emergency kit should you need to evacuate during a disaster. READ MORE

NJ's long symbiosis with industry has also produced many disasters

North Jersey’s history of industrial growth — from the textile mills that harnessed the power of the Passaic River to advances in the chemical industry — has been inextricably interwoven with disaster. And when the type of industry shifted, aging facilities were often repurposed. READ MORE

It can take decades to recover from a chemical disaster, as Napp shows

A 1995 explosion at a Napp Technologies plant in Lodi killed five workers and forced hundreds to flee a plume of chemically-laced smoke. It's taken decades for the neighborhood to rebound. READ MORE

How do hospitals prepare for a mass casualty disaster?

Local hospitals train regularly and conduct operational drills for incidents that could cause mass casualties, including spills, fires and explosions that could expose people to toxic substances. READ MORE

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Series uncovers history of hazmat fires in NJ, latent risks to homes