East Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - An East Syracuse company is expanding to help safeguard the cleanup crews at the gulf coast oil spill.
Galson Laboratories is handling much of the air-quality testing and to get the job done they're adding new equipment, working longer hours and trying to hire more chemists.
Galson Laboratories usually responds to disasters like train wrecks. The oil spill in the gulf is of a much-larger magnitude than their usual work.
"We've been working seven days a week with most of our staff," said Joe Unangst, President of Galson Labs.
The spill is challenging because the oil is emulsified, meaning it has a lot of water in it, so it stays below the surface. Unangst says the problem his company is dealing with starts when the oil hits shore and is exposed to the air at which point, "Contaminants that would have been released in the ocean will be released on shore."
Those contaminants include carcinogens, which have long term health effects. "That's what they're ramping up for," said Unangst, "to protect the workers that are going to be cleaning this thing up."
60-chemists at Galson Labs are testing and analyzing air samples around the clock. Most have a 24 hour turnaround. Unangst says his company hopes to hire five more to help with the new work. "We are just about doubling our current capacity," he said.
The company uses four different kits to test the air, including one that clips onto worker's shirts. It traps contaminants, and Unangst says they've ordered a "year's worth" of them.
This work seems likely to continue, since the oil spill is expected to take years to clean up.
