Following an Auburn University study in 2017, local residents expressed concerns about cases of childhood illness in the communities of Fruithurst and Muscadine, Alabama, to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).

In response, EPA and ADEM performed several environmental investigations in the communities for the possible presence of contaminants. These included sampling at and around a nearby former rubber manufacturer (the Preferred Compounding Corp, also known as ProBlend), and re-sampling the same former drinking water wells that Auburn University researchers tested.

The investigations focused on the following contaminants: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and metals in soils, surface water, groundwater and sediment. No contaminants were detected above action levels in any of the samples collected, and no further investigative actions are planned.

• Fruithurst Fact Sheet #2 (PDF)(4 pp, 1 MB, March 2020)
• Preferred Compounding Site Inspection Report including Focused Site Inspection in Fruithurst and Muscadine, AL (PDF)(535 pp, 23 MB, February 20, 2020)
• Fruithurst Fact Sheet #1 (PDF)(2 pp, 679 K, September 2019)