American Cyanamid Co.

Overview

The American Cyanamid site covers 435 acres in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, where chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing ran for more than 90 years. That history left behind volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, acid tar waste, PCBs, and more than 300 identified contaminants of concern spread across soil, groundwater, impoundments, and nearby surface water. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Wyeth Holdings LLC, a Pfizer subsidiary, purchased the property in 2009 and took on cleanup responsibility under EPA oversight.

Contamination reaches multiple media. Groundwater holds chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride, along with dichlorobenzenes and trichlorobenzenes. Soil contains heavy metals including lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and arsenic. Impoundment areas hold PCBs, naphthalene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sludge and debris. Plants and animals near the Raritan River and Cuckel's Brook face exposure through contaminated sediment and surface water.

The site is divided into eight operable units (OUs) targeting different areas. Remedial actions began in 1994. Key completed steps include removing 81,000 cubic yards of iron oxide from two impoundments in 2015, capping Impoundment 8 in 2022, and bringing a groundwater treatment system online in March 2019. A 2018 cleanup plan calls for excavating acid tar waste from the two most contaminated impoundments near the Raritan River and installing a protective cover. Pilot studies for that work ran through 2022. Remedial action for the Group 1 and Group 2 impoundments (OU 08) began in September 2024. A sitewide explanation of significant differences was issued on July 15, 2025. The Hill Property portion was removed from the NPL in December 1998 after cleanup confirmed no remaining risks, and that area is now home to the Bridgewater Promenade commercial complex and a minor league baseball stadium.

Human exposure is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Physical construction remains incomplete, and the site has not been deleted from the NPL. The most recent five-year review was completed in August 2024. Surrounding communities receive drinking water from sources outside the site. The entire remaining site is fenced, patrolled, and subject to deed restrictions and groundwater use limitations.

Community members can follow cleanup progress through EPA's Community Involvement Program. A community update was issued in March 2025. Members of the public can review site documents in person at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, or by calling (212) 637-4308. Direct questions can go to the Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.