Judge puts men behind bars for failing to solve toxic problem with their property: 'The court was at wits' end'

The father-son pair of William and Nicholas Cianciaruso were jailed in June after 4.5 years of court orders to clean their property, which had contaminated the soil and potentially a nearby water source with high levels of PFAS, known as "forever chemicals."

Lohud reported that the Cianciarusos were made aware of the hazardous material from their illegal dumping on the leased site, located near the border between New York and New Jersey, which is also by an aquifer.

The two were meant to be jailed in January 2024, when they were given one final chance to adhere to court orders to remediate the waste after seven years of dumping. Unfortunately, they failed to comply. William and Nicholas Cianciaruso were held for 90 days.

PFAS, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, are also referred to as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are long-lasting, health-harming chemicals, which means they break down slowly.

The persistence of PFAS in the environment has already contaminated the blood of some humans and animals across the globe and can be found in low levels in food sources as well as water, soil, air, and fish.

Q-Star Technology says that PFAS can contaminate soil and water through the illegal dumping of plastics, from which they leak into areas of contamination and are hazardous to the health of all living things.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says PFAS impact the human body in the way they increase cholesterol, lower antibody response to vaccines, cause changes in liver enzymes, cause hypertension and preeclampsia, decrease in birth weight, and increase the chances of kidney and testicular cancers.

The Cianciarusos are expected to right their wrongs once released from jail, though as of right now, their property is still in environmentally hazardous disarray. According to a report by News 12 Westchester, it is overgrown, unkempt, and laden with tires and other construction materials.

Their lawyer said the incarcerated duo now want to comply but will not be able to clean their site, which they have allegedly invested $60,000 to fix, while they are behind bars.

Nevertheless, William and Nicholas Cianciaruso have had ample time to remediate.

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"We think it's an environmental land mine," Hillburn Village attorney Terry Rice said, per Lohud. "The court was at wits' end. They were not complying. We're not being vindictive."

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