GLENDALE, Wis. — Testing for a carcinogen in the air at new luxury apartments in Bayshore continues after some people were evacuated over the weekend, according to the North Shore Health Department.
Public Health Officer Becky Rowland said a decision was made to move people out of six units in one of the buildings of The Lydell on Sunday after levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), a known cancer-causing chemical, remained high.
Rowland said the detection was first reported to the state last month by the apartments developer, Cypress Equities LLC, and its environmental consultant. Rowland said from mid-June, the developer informed residents of potential risks and spent weeks testing and attempting to eliminate the health risk. But, she said, exposure levels still exceeded safety guidelines for those six apartments.
According to Rowland, Cypress is helping with temporary living arrangements.
"I know that the folks in Lydell management have been working really hard and really closely with the tenants to get them squared away," said Rowland.
She added that over the last few weeks, two people have reported unusual sleepiness and headaches, but the department is unable to prove if the symptoms were related to TCE exposure. For privacy concerns, she said she can't confirm if those people lived in the evacuated units.
According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) public records, the apartments were developed on the site of a former landfill. From 2021, records show, the developer was aware of TCE contamination and developed a plan to mitigate any risk of exposure.
The DNR recommends multiple rounds of testing of mitigation systems before occupancy. But, based on records, people had been allowed to move in before the first round of test results were presented to state authorities in early June. The state does not have the ability to prohibit occupancy, only recommends testing protocol.
Rowland said some people moved in as early as April but more in May.
TMJ4 News reached out to Cypress Equities to ask about occupancy dates, and what they know about state guidelines for testing. They have not yet responded.
According to Rowland, testing continues on other units in the building and if TCE reaches a certain level, more people may have to be evacuated. Safety precautions, she said, are in place.
"We definitely still are advising people to take the other immediate actions we've progressively advised them on. That would be leaving your windows open. Running your air purifier," said Rowland.
She said all units in the building were provided purifiers.
The Lydell is made up of four buildings, with two still under construction. According to Rowland, tests on the other completed building and a building under construction showed no threat from TCE. She said she expects test results back on the other building under construction from Friday.
In March, the Milwaukee Health Department evacuated around 150 people from The Community Within the Corridor apartments at 32nd and Center over TCE exposure.
The DNR recently said it may not be safe to return to the apartments until next winter at the earliest, as remediation efforts continue at the site.
Many of those residents have since joined a class-action lawsuit against the CWC developers following the loss of their homes. In the suit, they accuse the developers of putting profit over safety for allowing people to move in before the remediation of TCE was successfully completed.
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