Schumer: The EPA needs to step up its game

Radioactive hotspots in Niagara County could be posing a threat to residents there and the Grand Island area.

The hotspots are a result of radioactive waste byproducts left over from prior industrial uses.

Senator Charles Schumer urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct an updated and comprehensive assessment of the hotspots to provide exact locations and determine how dangerous they are.

Schumer is also requesting the EPA work with local community leaders and residents to create a plan to clean up the areas that are affected.

"The extent of these radioactive hot spots in Niagara County and the lack of clear information about them means that the EPA needs to step up its game to address this problem," said Schumer.

According to a report from Buffalo's Investigative Post, at least 60 impacted properties have been neglected over the past 40 years. Schumer is calling on the federal government to step up its efforts to make sure these are all cleaned up to ensure the safety and health of all residents and their families.

Schumer says this is an especially upsetting issue because the EPA and the National Academy of Sciences have both determined there is no safe level of radiation for humans.