Most people do not become community activists because they want to make the world a better place. Most are forced into activism after experiencing misfortune firsthand.

Such has been the case with Endicott residents -- one incident changed forever their opinion about activism. Thousands of gallons of solvents used at IBM spilled in 1979, creating an underground plume. Over time that plume has moved under residents' homes and businesses, raising concern that toxic TCE fumes were rising into buildings.

Some people were reluctant to step forward at first. IBM had provided them with good careers and pay. Perhaps they felt like traitors if they broke the unspoken "code of allegiance."

But concern over the fumes, and the residents' perception that IBM, the state and even politicians weren't doing enough to protect their health and homes, convinced many to seek the truth on their own behalf. As a result, groups such as the Resident Action Group of Endicott (RAGE.), Citizens Acting to Resolve Endicott's Environment (CARE) and Western Broome Environmental Stakeholder Coalition (WBESC) were born.

Today, a report card on what these activists have achieved will be shared with the public when the Environmental Justice For All Tour '06 rolls into town. The event begins at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of Union-Endicott High School, to be followed by a mini-tour of sites around Endicott that illustrate pollution mitigation efforts.

While meeting with the editorial board last week, RAGE. Executive Director Alan Turnbull and Alliance@IBM organizer Rick White discussed the event and current efforts. Turnbull provided an impressive list of achievements. They organized petitions and letter-writing campaigns to seek property protection, reclassify the spill zone from a DEC classification of 4 to the more urgent 2, press for investigating the health of IBM workers, and focus lawmakers' attention on the problem.

That adage about the squeaky hinge getting the oil is proved true by the efforts of these citizen groups. What if they had not stepped up to demand their right to know what was going on? Would remediation and mitigation efforts or focus on health risks have been undertaken to the extent they have? Probably not.

These citizens aren't ready to rest on their laurels. For example, White is concerned that air and vapor testing done by the state in buildings on the Huron Campus (formerly IBM) did not include elevator shafts. Air quality was tested in lower floors of the buildings; vapors were tested at the sub-slab level. White said elevator shafts originate in that sub-slab level. So if an employee is constantly going in and out of an elevator, is exposure to TCE greater than believed?

Good question, and it deserves an immediate answer. Results of 2005 vapor testing in sub-slab levels showed frighteningly high levels in some buildings. The state Department of Health permits TCE levels of 5 micrograms/per square meter (although other agencies believe that should be reduced tenfold). Tests showed Building 47 had an estimated concentration of 800,000 mcg/m3! Building 46 had 120,000 mcg/m3. At least 18 buildings had readings greater than 1,000 mcg/m3 in their sub-slab level. (See reports at www.huroncampus.com/reports.html)

Those shocking results show there's still much to be addressed, but today let's celebrate what these citizens have achieved. Their watchdog tenacity keeps attention focused on this serious issue.