Babies Near Gowanus Canal?
hi! i’m thinking of making an offer on a house 1 block from the top of the Gowanus Canal near Hoyt st. I have a 6 month old baby and a bit spooked by all the Gowanus toxicity reports. was wondering if any neighbors around there have any insight? thanks, Julia
hi! i’m thinking of making an offer on a house 1 block from the top of the Gowanus Canal near Hoyt st. I have a 6 month old baby and a bit spooked by all the Gowanus toxicity reports. was wondering if any neighbors around there have any insight? thanks, Julia
To be honest, I think you’re more likely to have issues with the air quality in NYC than the proximity to the Gowanus Canal. Look how fast cars get grimy in the city. You gotta realize all that shit is going into our lungs daily too.
To answer your question, as I understand it, the pollutants at the north end of the canal are not airborne. The offending chemicals are either underground (a coal-tar plume under Thomas Greene Park) or heavy metals in the sludge.
I have raised my two children a few blocks north of your potential property, and they also go to school 1 block from the canal. They are fine, as are all the thousands of children who live in this area.
Best wishes and good luck.
EEKS you guys are too much!
I agree with Stonergut.
Ok, OP – think of it like this – soooo many people have lived right on the GC and around the GC for decades. Many are still old timers who have lived there since the 1950’s – and they are alive and kicking or could be dying from cancer – who knows?
point is – we can’t truly control what we are exposed to. I grew up in Nassau county, 5 miles from the huge landfill that would send toxic odors into the air. Then all the reports came out that women in Nassau County are 5 times more likely than any other woman in the US to get Breast Cancer….. – I mean sure I could get cancer down the road, but my mom didn’t move us out of the nabe. The landfill is now a posh golf course….
I think you will be fine… not like you are raising your baby on a houseboat in the canal
> Gosh. You are all so helpful.
We put the “fun” in “Superfund.”
Gosh. You are all so helpful.
While I’m no expert, I imagine you can find out the level of the water table in the area. If it’s below your cellar, and there’s no history of flooding in the area, I wouldn’t worry too much.
All dirt in NYC has an elevated lead level, although the threshold for danger varies by location. Make sure you don’t have in-ground sand boxes or garden without gloves. Use common sense and you’ll be fine.
These are also questions to be addressed by an independent house inspector (ie, not the one the broker hooks you up with).
Best of luck! Babies are sturdier than you think.
DIBS, you mean you have concerns with your LOVE life in Bed Stuy
I jest but I had the same concerns for my life before I bought in Bed Stuy.
Don’t bathe the baby in the canal more than once a week, and you should be fine.
next up will be:
Is XXXX safe enough to live in given I have a puppy?