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Workers at a College Point residential development are cleaning up hazardous fill without adequate protection, possibly exposing themselves to harmful, cancer-causing agents, according to a local scientist.

Dr. James Cervino, a marine pathologist and biology professor at Pace University, lives within walking distance of the site and has studied the area for the past three years. He is fuming over JTR College Point LLC’s removal of hazardous materials. He claims the developers who own the property are bypassing a number of legal requirements.

He said he identified improperly protected workers at the site, sees the process as one that continues to expose nearby residents to cancer-causing agents and fears future residents will be at great risk.

Developers of the waterfront property on the outskirts of MacNeil Park say they are following the guidelines established by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and that Cervino doesn’t have a good enough understanding of the issue to make such an accusation.

In the 1960s, the land currently being developed was created by illegal landfill. Soil tests have detected high concentrations of mercury, chromium and organic compounds on the property.

People hired to clean up the site have been seen without protective gear, wearing work gloves and baseball hats – a measure Cervino said is dangerous.

“We disapprove of the clean-up that is in place. It is substandard and it doesn’t protect human health,” said Cervino.

“While we respect Dr. Cervino’s and other elected officials’ concern for the environmental safety of our property, our environmental remediation experts, as well as the experts at DEC and [the State Dept. of Health] have the knowledge, expertise and experience that the community activists and the general public do not,” said Bill Seevers, who heads the site’s clean up.

“For a period of more than five years, the site was thoroughly tested, which included the extraction of more than 26,000 test points from the site. The results of this testing provided the basis for the Remedial Work Plan that will be used to guide the cleanup.” He added that clean-up plans were approved by the DEC, and the public had an opportunity to react to the Remediation Work Plan.

Cervino said he found the clean-up process allows the developers to leave high levels of chromium and mercury in the soil. He said the clean-up allows for seven times the standard level of mercury and three times the standard level of chromium to remain.

According to Seevers, “We are certainly not bypassing a legal limit or requirement.”

On Monday, at the site’s entrance, there was a noticeable amount of construction taking place, where workers were removing material and placing it on dirt piles in clear view. Some of the piles were covered in tarps, yet others were exposed. According to Seevers, “When waste piles are created on the site they will be covered and quickly removed and disposed of at approved off-site facilities.

At the present, dirt from confirmatory test pits is being piled on the site and covered with plastic sheeting.”

“They don’t care about cancer-causing chemicals, that’s the bottom line,” said Cervino. He said all workers at the site should be equipped with gas masks, yet no workers at the site wore facial protection. When asked if all workers are properly protected at the site, Seevers said, “Health and safety issues on the site are governed and enforced by the Health and Safety Plan and the Community Air Monitoring Plan, both of which are part of the approved work plans for this site.”

Cervino said he is hoping to take legal action against JTR and already has the support from fellow scientists, Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose).

When asked Tuesday how he feels about the site’s state approved clean-up process, Avella said, “common sense went out the window,” and added if homes are eventually built on the site, area residents should organize protests.