FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- Sixteen months after discovering chemical leaks in a Franklin creek, another chemical has been found under some homes.

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For more than a year, two chemicals from the Egyptian Lacquer plant have been leaking into the Harpeth River and Liberty Creek, but the leak may be more widespread than officials originally thought.

When crews dug a well to sample ground water to determine how far tolulene and acetone contamination from the plant had spread, they didn’t find either one, but they found benzene.

Benzene is a carcinogen that can cause dizziness, vomiting and even blood disease under long-term exposure.

"We do want try to find out where the source is. We certainly didn’t have any chemicals that would’ve contained that substance, at least on the label. So, we’re going to be looking to see if there’s off-site sources," said Egyptian Lacquer attorney Bill Penny.

Attorneys for the company said that it was surprised to find the results with the benzene and that Egyptian Lacquer is investigating where the contamination came from.

Penny said the benzene does not threaten the drinking water.

"Benzene was found at very low levels. It’s at a level that doesn’t pose a risk to the public. It’s not a drinking water source," he said.

People who are working to keep the river clean said the contamination could spread.

"If it’s in the groundwater, it can travel to surface water. I mean, benzene is a carcinogen. It’s not a healthy substance to have in the groundwater," said Pam Davee of the Harpeth River Watershed Association.

Davee said it’s time for Egyptian Lacquer to start cleaning up the mess before the river, creek and the neighborhood have to deal with anything else.

"It just means that they need to get this cleanup moving along, and they need to get this out of the groundwater and out from underneath people’s homes," she said.

This is the first time that benzene levels have shown in a water test. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation said more investigation is needed to know what exactly it is working with.

TDEC said it is continuing to monitor air levels and water levels in the area for any type of contamination.

Egyptian Lacquer is supposed to present a cleanup plan on April 24, but the state may extend the deadline because of the new test results.