Federal agents armed with a court-ordered search warrant staged a surprise raid Thursday at the Tonawanda Coke Corp., a company under fire for carcinogenic benzene emissions.
The raiding party, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, an environmental specialist, followed complaints by New York’s two U.S. senators to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We took records and samples,” U.S. Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter said this morning.
Officials from the EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, state Environmental Conservation Department and the state attorney general’s office took part in the raid, Mehltretter said.
Mehltretter declined further comment, citing a pending investigation.
The Buffalo News reported in October that a state DEC study had found Tonawanda Coke to be the primary source of benzene that was up to 75 times the recommended guidelines.
Benzene has been linked to a number of cancers, including leukemia, and can cause damage to the immune system and bone marrow, besides impairing fertility in women and causing irritation to the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract.
“Tonawanda Coke is a predominant source of benzene in the community,” said Tom Gentile, chief of the state DEC’s Air Toxics section.