The Site is located in a mixed residential/commercial neighborhood in Edison Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The James Madison Primary School is located one mile to the northwest of the Site. As of the 2010 Census, the population of Edison Township, New Jersey was approximately 100,000 people. The property formerly owned by the Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. encompasses approximately 9.63 acres that covers a large portion of Hilltop Road and the 1600 block of Oak Tree Road. The southern portion of the former Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. property is currently owned and operated by Extra Space Storage, an active self-storage business, located at 1660 Oak Tree Road. The northern portion of the land formerly owned by Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. is currently owned and occupied by ten single-family residential properties on Hilltop Road. The south western portion of the land formerly owned by Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. is presently privately owned and occupied by a three unit strip mall. The residential properties on Libby Court and Henry Street, as well as the commercial property located at 1680 Oak Tree Road, are adjacent to the property formerly owned by the Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc.

 
Lead is a cumulative poison where increasing amounts can build up in the body eventually reaching a point where symptoms and disability occur. Particularly sensitive populations include children and pregnant women, because of the fetal transfer of lead. Cognitive deficits are associated with fetal and childhood exposure to lead. An increase in blood pressure is the most sensitive adverse health effect from lead exposure in adults. Effects of kidney, nervous system, and heme-forming elements are associated with increasing blood lead concentrations, both in children and adults. Other symptoms include decreased physical fitness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, aching bones, abdominal pains and decreased appetite.

 
The relationship between soil lead concentrations and the consequent impact on blood levels in children has been studied through numerous epidemiological studies. Based on these epidemiological studies, it is generally believed that persistent exposure to soil-born lead results in an increase in blood lead levels (in children) of 1 to 9 ug/dl per 1,000 ppm lead in soil. Although this relationship may become less significant as exposure durations decrease and soil lead levels increase, it nonetheless provides compelling evidence of the potential lead hazard associated with the excessive lead concentrations found in soil at the Site.