Back in December, news stories revealed that Myrtle Beach, SC has been contaminated with TCE for decades. Despite knowledge by the polluter and state regulators, the public was never warned:

Toxic contamination at the AVX Corp. facility in Myrtle Beach was kept secret for 26 years, and that has some environmental experts and residents questioning why state regulators never did anything to inform the public about a potential health risk.

Even when tests last year indicated the contamination had spread to property adjacent to AVX located on 17th Avenue South in Myrtle Beach, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control did not notify residents, city leaders or adjacent landowners.

DHEC officials say they usually don't notify anyone unless there is an immediate health danger.

The case is drawing attention from environmentalists nationwide, including Robert Kennedy Jr., whose Kennedy & Madonna law firm has offered to help residents fight AVX in court.

'It's hard to believe everyone just sat on all this information for so long,' said Kevin Madonna, who, with Kennedy, works with community groups nationwide on environmental issues.

Last week, a follow-up article on Myrtle Beach Online revealed:

Electronics manufacturer AVX illegally dumped groundwater laced with TCE, an industrial degreaser, into the sewer at its 17th Avenue South facility from at least 1985 to 1996, according to a consent order the company signed with DHEC in 1996.

[...]

AVX learned it had high levels of TCE contamination in groundwater at its property as early as 1991, but did not tell state regulators or city officials about the problem until 14 years later.

TCE contamination now has migrated from AVX to groundwater in a 10-block section of Myrtle Beach, environmental tests show. The contamination is not in the city's drinking water.

Myrtle Beach officials did not learn about the sewer dumping and contamination problems until recently, when the issues were brought to the public's attention through a series of reports in The Sun News.

DHEC last month narrowed the area where TCE contamination exists to a 10-block parcel north of AVX, sandwiched between Beaver Road and Kings Highway.

Environmental tests last year showed TCE levels as high as 19,200 parts per billion on land near AVX. The EPA has set the safe level at five parts per billion.

We'll keep you posted as updates become available.