A public meeting is set for tonight following the discovery of unsafe levels of fumes from polluted groundwater evaporating into homes and offices near Whisman Road.

The Moffett-MEW Community Advisory Board will have an open meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at City Hall's plaza conference room to discuss issues related to toxic vapors from TCE-laced groundwater. Topics include the notification of residents and occupants of office buildings about recent indoor air test results and the availability of free indoor air testing by the EPA for residents in the area.

TCE (trichloroethylene), an industrial solvent, was left behind by Fairchild, Intel and other early computer component manufacturers. It contaminated groundwater, and the chemical's vapors have been slowly evaporating from the ground into the air.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, TCE is "carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure" and that inhalation can cause "hepatic, renal, neurological, immunological, reproductive, and developmental effects."

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