The town of TonawandaAccording to the Buffalo News , residents in the town of Tonawanda, were not surprised at the air quality test results they received from the Department of Environmental Conservation. They were probably fully aware of what the outcome of the testing would be like, due to the amount of benzene, a carcinogen connected to industry, motor vehicle emissions and even tobacco smoke.

Thomas Gentile, chief of the DEC's Air Toxics Section, states "You need to be informed, and you need to have good information to get people's attention." Testing by the state Department of Environmental Conservation continues through July at four sites in the town. Samples are being analyzed for 42 volatile organic compounds and 10 carbonyls. Fifteen of the chemicals are among 33 identified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as urban air toxics that need to be reduced.