Substance Surfaces Near Old Landfill

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Officials here have discovered an unknown substance bubbling from the ground near the site of an old hazardous waste dump.

The area--near the intersection of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue--was cordoned off about 9 a.m. Tuesday after the substance was discovered and a hazardous materials team surveyed the site, officials said. It remained cordoned off Wednesday night.

A Huntington Beach fire dispatcher said a sample of the material has been sent for analysis, but authorities believe it does not pose any risk unless someone rubs it against his skin.

Formerly known as the Ascon landfill, the 38-acre dump was a disposal area for oil field wastes from 1938 until it was shut down in 1984. The toxic chemicals included benzene, an ingredient of crude oil that is a known cause of leukemia.