On this page:

• Cleanup Status
• Site Description
• Contaminants at this Facility
• Site Responsibility

Cleanup Status

The facility is being cleaned up under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) State Property Transfer Program. Revlon excavated and properly disposed-of contaminated soil from several areas. Two areas of sub-surface soil contamination, along the northwestern side of the Revlon property, are covered with asphalt to prevent potential contact with the contaminants and to minimize the infiltration of water. The remedy also includes a deed notice. The area is secured by fencing. 

A system of wells was installed and expanded in the area of the groundwater contamination to remove the contaminants. This is done by pumping the groundwater out of the ground and removing the chemicals with air strippers and carbon filters. The treated groundwater is then discharged to the Middlesex County Utilities Authority treatment works. The groundwater system is maintaining hydraulic control of the groundwater.

Organic compounds were detected in indoor air samples at the location of the former manufacturing building and have been attributed to potential background interferences from furniture and carpet.  Indoor air sampling conducted off-site has not detected any compounds related to Revlon. A new warehouse building is planned in the central portion of the property and will be constructed with a vapor control system.

Groundwater monitoring is being conducted and additional groundwater remedial system enhancements are being implemented to more effectively cleanup the groundwater. A network of additional wells was installed to add components to the groundwater to further dissolve contaminants. Groundwater treatment will continue until applicable standards have been achieved.

Site Description

The Revlon Incorporated (Revlon) Main Production Facility, formerly owned by Johnson and Johnson, operated at 55 Talmadge Road, on a 63.2-acre property in Edison, New Jersey from 1956 to 1999. Revlon manufactured lipstick, dusting powder, fragrances, toiletries, nail enamel, other make-up and their packaging at the facility. The company stored its cosmetic products (prior to packaging) in several underground and above-ground storage tanks on-site.

In 1985, when Revlon entered into a merger agreement for the Edison site with Nicole Acquisition Company, an environmental evaluation of the site was performed as required under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) State Property Transfer Program. The facility was sold to Starwood Heller, L.L.C., in 1999, and changed its name to Revlon Consumer Products Corporation.  The property is currently owned by Morris Route 27 Associates and Morris Route 27 Development Associates.

Contaminants at this Facility

The environmental investigation performed at the time of the merger revealed that some underground and above-ground tanks leaked their contents into the soil and, eventually, into the groundwater under the site. The soil and groundwater were contaminated with organic compounds including trichloroethylene, trichloroethane, acetone and 1,2-dichloroethene.

Site Responsibility at this Facility

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 2.