United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
(2201)
EPA 520-F-96-001
Fall 1995
X>EPA Superfund At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Montclair/West Orange
and Glen Ridge Radium
Site Profile
Site Description;
Residential properties in Essex
County, New Jersey
Site Size: 210 acres
Primary Contaminants;
Radium, radon decay products,
gamma radiation
Potential Range of Health Effects:
Increased risk of cancer, genetic
disorders, birth defects
- Nearby Population Affected:
32,000 people within one mile
Year Listed on NPL: 1985
EPA Region: 2
Congressional Districts: 8 and 10
Essex County, NJ
EPA Works with Homeowners
to Reduce Radium Exposure
The Montclair/West Orange and Glen Ridge Radium sites
consist of three non-contiguous, radium-contaminated areas of
suburban Essex County, New Jersey. The two Superfund sites
cover approximately 210 acres and include 769 properties. Some of
the soil at the sites is contaminated to varying degrees with radio-
active waste materials suspected to have originated from radium
processing or utilization facilities which were located nearby in the
early 1900s. Waste materials similar to uranium mill tailings were
disposed of in previously rural areas of the communities.
Houses were subsequently constructed
on or near these radium waste disposal
areas. The contaminated areas in Montclair,
West Orange, and Glen Ridge are present in
older, well-established residential neighborhoods with
single and two-family homes. The three study areas
include public areas such as streets and parks in addition
to the residential properties. This site is an example of
how innovative
technology, sound
management, and effec-
tive community relations
can work together for
efficient, effective, and
affordable environmental
cleanup. To date, the
Montclair/West Orange
and Glen Ridge Radium
sites are the largest resi-
dential cleanup in the
country. With potentially
responsible parties out of
business for almost 70
years, very little work
Urban development completely covers this once rural area. (Compare with
photos on pages 3 and 5.)
could have taken place
without the Superfund
program.
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Superfund At Work • Montclair/West Orange & Glen Ridge Radium Site, Essex County, NJ • Fall 1995
Health Effects
Eadioacfi^e wa^te material^ . evafe^ kwis of indoor and/ or
iatiort A
siveonly
nation facilities, were disposed of . elevated levelsof gamma radia-
In rural areas! of the ^em^ftitles.
Soil On $yWŁ.M'p&v%fe fjeof^ /' • radiation
i~ radiation
ts and therefore
nt control tech-
; mum decay :ejtaim,
j main
. of micjides m the soil causes
i in s&me 3
others addltiortally exhiMl dl-"
In Figure 1). While radon ps
,quicl% dissipated m tfee owt»
ir> as it decays -inside .a
d the concentraiiout of
Figure 1. Typical Radon Entry Routes
1 Floor and wall cracks
2 Hollow block walls •"-•'
3 Mortar joints
4 Porous concrete block
5 Holes for utility and service pipes, cables, etc.
6 Sill plate and header joist gaps
7 Slab - footing joints
8 Exposed soil
9 Drains, sumps and weeping (drain) tiles
10 Crawl spaces
Not to Scale
Adapted from Radon Reduction Techniques
for Detached Houses; Technical Guidance, USEPA
. Ładon decay products In the
I indoor air increases. Sdentifk
studies ol uranium miners have
shown conclusively that pro-
jloaged Inhalation of air corttain-
!iag high concentrations of radon
ideK^y products Causes an in?
.'crease In the probability ol the
^occurrence ol lung cancer,
WMk long-term exposure to
iiftdoof radon ga$ and radbn;
'"Jcle^ay products presents the
greatest single health risk at the
iSiteSr other pathways of expo-
sure are not insignificant. The
fadioactive decay of radium;
results in the emission ol highly
ipenetratlng gamma radiation.
Gamma radiation is of concern
Because it may give an irraJia-
ticm over the whole body. The
greater the dtxratkm or intensity
of tibe exposure, the larger the
dose/ and therefore, the greater
the risk of adverse health effects
such as cancer> genetic disort
ders, and birth defects, :
\ In addition, Ibecause airborne
particukte matter (e.g./ wind-
blown dust or soil) may contain
small concentrations of radrom,
inhalation of radium Is a possi-
bility at the sites. Inadvertent
jpgestion of radium-contami-
pated soil Is another pathway
ihat. can result in doses to vari-
ous internal bodily organs and
can result In an increased risk ol
developing leukemia, anemia,
and bone cancer. Studies have
.. shown, however, that the pro-
jected radiation doses from tibese
pathways are much smaller than
those estimated for either radon
decay product inhalation or
direct gamma radiation expo-
sure using even the most conser-
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Superfund At Work • Montclair/West Orange & Glen Ridge Radium Site, Essex County, NJ • Fall 1995
Citizens, EPA Work Togetheir on Cleanup Plan
Radium research and pro-
cessing facilities were prevalent
in northern New Jersey from the
early 1900s to the late 1920s. The
processing facilities produced
luminous paint for watch dials,
surveying equipment, and
airplane instruments, and later
extracted the radium for re-
search and medical applications.
By the early 1930s, the effects of
excessive exposure to radium
were discovered, leading to
closure of the processing facili-
ties. While some materials
remained at the facilities, vari-
ous wastes such as sand tailings,
coal ash, and bottles were dis-
posed as fill for low-lying rural
areas.
In 1979, NJDEP initiated a
program to investigate areas
previously used for radium
processing facilities. In Decem-
ber 1980, Congress enacted the
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA) autho-
rizing the Superfund program.
The following year, NJDEP
requested that EPA conduct an
aerial gamma radiation survey
over a 12-square-mile area of
Essex County. The aerial survey
identified several residential
areas with elevated gamma
radiation levels. Ground inves-
tigations conducted in 1983
confirmed the presence of
radium contamination.
Temporary Measures
Frustrated by Limited
Disposal Options
In May 1984, EPA and NJDEP
jointly planned a pilot study to
evaluate the feasibility of exca-
vation and off-site disposal of
the radium-contaminated soil.
Twelve properties, with varying
degrees of contamination, were
selected for the pilot study, and
preliminary engineering assess-
ments were prepared. In the fall
of 1984, EPA decided to forgo
the pilot study since a full
remedial investigation/feasibil-
ity study (RI/FS) had been
initiated. NJDEP, however,
decided to proceed with exca-
vating the contaminated soil
Virginia Avenue looking south toward Samuel Street, circa 1913. (Compare with photo on page 1.)
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Superfund At Work • Montclair/West Orange & Glen Ridge Radium Site, Essex County, NJ • Fall 1995
and initiated a pilot program.
NJDEP began excavating in
June 1985, after securing a
disposal site for the contami-
nated soil by contracting with
a commercial disposal facility
in Nevada. Four properties in
Glen Ridge had been com-
pletely remediated when
Nevada revoked NJDEP's
disposal permit. With no dis-
posal facility available, NJDEP
was forced to leave container-
ized soil at its transloading
facility in Kearny, New Jersey
and around partially excavated
properties in Montclair.
NJDEP was able to remove
the containers from Montclair in
the fall of 1987, and in the
summer of 1988 successfully
disposed of the remainder of
the soil stored at Kearny. The
pilot program demonstrated
that excavation of radium-
contaminated soil was a feasible
remedial action, but that trans-
portation and subsequent
disposal of the contaminated
material made any excavation
and off-site disposal alternative
an extremely tenuous option.
EPA issued a draft RI/FS
report in September, 1985 and
announced a 60-day public
review period. EPA then held a
public meeting in November.
At that meeting, it was noted
that excavation of the radium-
contaminated soil was the
Agency's preferred approach
for solving the problems at the
sites, but the lack of a disposal
facility prevented the selection
of a remedy involving excava-
tion with off-site disposal. The
meeting was very well at-
tended, with approximately half
of the 1500 persons present
unable to be accommodated in
the meeting place. Even though
EPA was not endorsing an
on-site disposal option, the
communities were adamantly
opposed to any excavation,
relocation, and consolidation of
the radium-contaminated soil
onto the original core areas of
disposal in the Towns of
Montclair and Glen Ridge.
The problems with identify-
ing a viable disposal location,
either in or out of state, com-
bined with a potential for being
prevented from using a site
once it had been identified, as
evidenced by NJDEP's earlier
efforts, led to a decision to re-
examine and search out addi-
tional remedies. EPA began a
supplemental feasibility study
in March 1987 to develop and
evaluate measures to protect
public health. As that study
progressed, it became apparent
that an evaluation of both
interim and final remedial
measures would need to be
included.
EPA continued to investigate
the sites, evaluating both long-
term solutions, including exca-
vation and disposal of the
contaminated soil, and interim
measures to solve the problems
associated with the presence of
the radium-contaminated soil.
The results of these investiga-
tions were presented in a
Supplemental Feasibility Study
Report which was made avail-
able to the public in April, 1989.
WEST ORANGE
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Superfund At Work • Montclair/West Orange & Glen Ridge Radium Site, Essex County, NJ • Fall 1995
Concurrent with the study, EPA
released for public comment a
proposed plan calling for exca-
vation of soil from the most
contaminated sites, installation
of radon mitigation systems,
and use of lead shielding for
elevated gamma exposures.
The remainder of the sites
would receive partial excavation
and / or institutional controls.
EPA held a public meeting in
May, 1989 to present the pro-
posed remedial plan. In addi-
tion, EPA held numerous public
sessions to allow the local com-
munity to comment on EPA's
proposal. The portion of the
plan calling for full excavation
received wide public support.
There were strong objections
from many members of the
community to partial excava-
tion and institutional controls.
In general, the affected
homeowners demanded that
their properties be considered
"clean" and free of any restric-
tions after remediation.
As a result of strong public
opinion, and the recent identifi-
cation of a viable disposal site,
EPA issued the second set of
records of decision (RODs) in
June, 1990 calling for excavation
and off-site disposal of contami-
nated material on each property
where this material exceeded
the cleanup criteria. EPA stated
in the 1990 RODs that several
factors could influence the
implementability of the pro-
posed remedy and the cleanup
schedule. These factors in-
cluded funding for the project
and the long-term availability of
a disposal site.
Determining Excavation Areas
Each property has unique
characteristics requiring the
extent of excavation to vary
from a small area in a front or
back yard to removal of con-
taminated soil on the entire
property. Contaminated side-
walks, driveways, and patios
have to be removed, then
restored. In some cases,
contaminated material was
present below the foundation of
the home.
Was Relocation Necessary?
The decision to temporarily
relocate families was made
Virginia Avenue looking north toward Harrison Avenue, circa 1913. (Compare with photo on page 1.)
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Superfund At Work • Montclair/West Orange & u.
radium Site, Essex County, NJ • Fall 1995
when utilities had to be discon-
nected, excavation was below
the home's basement, or for
accessibility. Depending on the
extent of work, relocation took
from a few weeks to 12 months.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers handled the relocation
activities, including leasing
homes and apartments, renting
furniture, and transferring
personal belongings. Payment
of utilities, cleaning, lawn
maintenance, and snow re-
moval was provided.
If you wish to be added to or deleted
from our mailing list or to comment on
this bulletin's content, length or format,
please call (202) 260-9812, or send a
letter to Superfund At Work (2201), 401
M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Soy/Canola Ink on paper that
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Soil Removal in Comiiiteitt Phases
> rasa
iiies, and an additional 57 p&
{Phase IV/V) are anticipated for lemediatioii in; the Ml of 199|>.
; of sail have Men excavated]
: The cleamip of Barrows Field
in Glen Ridge will occtsr after
. MMation. of work on fche \
ies iferoug&out the study
: test in each home. If you
have my qye$tiona on this
or wo«id WK&mme inlormar
;tion about ih& sites, please I
:comta.ctthe El? A Park Office1
Phase
Phase I
Phase MB
Properties
Pilot Phase 15 Properties - Montclair Study Area
41 Properties - All Study Areas
Phase HA 26 Properties - Montclair Study Area
55 Properties -All Study Areas
Phase III 56 Properties - Primarily in
Montclair Study Area
Phase IV/V Approximately 57 Properties -
All Study Areas
Status
Cleanup Complete
Cleanup Complete
Cleanup Complete
Cleanup Complete
Construction Ongoing
Contract Awarded
Barrows Field Barrows Field - Glen Ridge Study Area To Be Scheduled
&EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
(2201)
Washington, D.C. 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
Bulk Rate
Postage and Fees Paid
EPA
Permit No. G-35
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