State says black splotches on roofs are not jet fuel

A state inspector who visited the neighborhood near the Carroll County Regional Airport determined that the stains were not jet fuel dumped on residents’ homes, said Kim Lamphier, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of the Environment.

But the investigator could not tell what the black grime is and could not sample it because it had coated the homes for too long.

The findings support an earlier probe by the Carroll County Health Department, which also concluded that the residue was not jettisoned fuel because most fuel dissipates before it reaches the ground.

The Federal Aviation Administration allows pilots to dump fuel to lighten their loads for emergency landings and to reduce the risk of a fire.

Snowfall Way resident Nancy Frick first noticed the residue more than two years ago as she pushed her grandson around her neighborhood in a stroller.

She said about eight homes are affected.

The state inspector told Frick to keep her nose open for any suspicious smells but said he found no telltale signs of damage from a fuel spill to trees or lawns.

“I’m relieved because I wanted to know if there was any immediate danger to myself or to family or my neighbors,” she said. “I’m satisfied that there is no immediate danger. This kind of slams the lid shut on this.”

Residents living near Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport voiced similar complaints to the state about black spots on their homes.

But the MDE determined the spots came from chimney soot or mold, said Charles Zeleski, assistant director of the county Health Department’s environmental health bureau.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com