FORT SMITH — A Whirlpool spokesman says a toxic chemical found in the groundwater of a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club does not pose a health risk.
The Times Record reported that spokesman Jeff Noel announced the results of the company's summer testing Thursday. The chemical is linked to increased cancer risk.
The club's director says the testing detected the chemical in one out of nine groundwater samples. It was not found in the soil or surface water.
The company's former plant in Fort Smith used trichloroethylene as a degreasing solvent from the 1960s through the early 1980s.
The director says the chemical was found on an undeveloped edge of the property that will be separated by planned road construction.
Four permanent contamination-monitoring wells are planned for the site.