Council asks health department to investigate Ideal Tape emissions after Toxic Reduction report

The Lowell City Council unanimously approved a motion Feb. 18 asking the city’s health department to investigate and report on toxic emissions from Ideal Tape’s Middlesex Street facility after a report by the Massachusetts Toxic Reduction Institute identified the site as having high toxic releases in an environmental justice neighborhood.

Councilor Dakota said the institute’s report listed Ideal Tape’s Middlesex Street location as the second‑highest release among comparable sites in environmental justice neighborhoods; he asked the health department for information on whether toxins are present in groundwater, the area affected, potential human and pet health impacts, and what mitigation steps Ideal Tape is taking. The motion asked the health department to provide answers to those questions and recommend immediate actions the company should take to reduce emissions.

Councilors voted to send the request to the health department; the motion passed during the council’s motions section. No formal remediation order or regulatory enforcement action was recorded at the meeting; the council requested a report from the health department to advise next steps.

The motion directs the health department to compile factual information and recommendations for the council’s consideration, including any immediate steps to reduce risk and the extent of monitoring needed.