United States Office of Emergency 81
Environmental Protection Remedial Response
Agency Washington, DC 20460
August 1989
BACK3WJND DJFORMATTON:
NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST, SPECIAL PROPOSED UPDATE
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing two sites to
the National Priorities List (NPL) . This brings the number of proposed sites
to 337, including 74 in the Federal facility section.
Final sites now total 889, including 41 in the Federal facility section.
Final and proposed site total 1,226. New Jersey has the largest number of
final and proposed sites (109), followed by California (98) and Pennsylvania
(96).
The proposed sites are subject to public comment for 30 days following
publication of the proposal in the Federal Register in mid-August. Based on
these comments and further review by EPA, the sites will be placed on the final
NPL if they still meet the listing requirements.
The two proposed sites are in New York:
o Forest Glen Mobile Home Subdivision, Niagara Falls
o Radium Chemical Co., Inc., New York City
The sites are being proposed on the basis of Section 300. 66 (b) (4) of the
National Contingency Plan, the Federal regulation by which CERdA is
implemented. Under this section, a site can be placed on the NPL if (1) the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services has issued a public health advisory recommending
that people be removed from the site, (2) EPA determines that the site poses a
significant threat to public health, and (3) EPA anticipates that it will be
more cost-effective to use its remedial authority (available only at NPL
sites) than its emergency removal authority to respond to the site.
On February 10, 1989, ATSDR issued a health advisory warning that the
Radium Chemical site poses a significant threat to public health because of the
possible release of radium-226.
On July 31, 1989 ATSDR issued a health advisory warning that residents of
the Forest Glen Mobile Home Subdivision may be at risk because of the potential
for exposure through direct contact to, or ingestion of, contaminants found in
soil at the site.
The NPL identifies abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that
warrant further investigation to determine if long-term "remedial action" is
necessary. Sites on the NPL are eligible for such action under the Compre-
hensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCIA) ,
enacted on December 11, 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (SARA) , enacted on October 17, 1986. SARA authorizes a
"Hazardous Substances Superfund" totaling $8.5 billion over 5 years to pay
costs for overseeing work by those responsible for cleaning up waste sites,
and to pay costs not assumed by responsible parties. EPA has the primary
responsibility for managing cleanup and enforcement activities under
Superfund.
-------
ADDENDUM
-------
National Priorities List
Superfund hazardous waste site listed under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) as amended in 1986
FOREST GLEN MOBILE HOME SUBDIVISION
Niagara Falls, New York
The Forest Glen Mobile Home Subdivision is located on Lisa Lane, Carrie
Drive, T Mark Drive, and Edgewood Drive in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New
York. The 21-acre site, now comprised of 52 mobile homes and 2 permanent
residents, is between the Conrail Foote Railroad Yard to the west and
Interstate 190 to the east. An estimated 150 people occupy the site.
Adjacent to the railroad yard is the New Road Landfill. A residential area
is to the east of Interstate 190, and another is to the south of the site.
Prior to the 1960s, the site was a wooded swampland. Aerial photographs
taken during the mid-1960s reveal that the area was cleared. During the
early 1970s, low-lying areas of the site were filled with unknown materials.
Soil sampling in 1980 by the Niagara County Health Department detected
phenolic resins, polyvinyl chloride resins, rubber by-products, and ash.
Concrete refuse and industrial machinery were scattered throughout the 21
acres, with concentrated areas in the Carrie Drive and Lisa Lane cul-de-sac.
In 1980, the Niagara County Health Department excavated 10 to 12 cubic yards
of soil contaminated with phenolic resins from a resident's yard and
transported it to a landfill regulated under Subtitle C of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act.
Prior to 1973, portions of the site were owned by Michigan-Mayne Realty
Co. and three individuals; the northern undeveloped portion was owned by the
Power Authority of the State of New York. The site was then purchased by
Niagara Falls USA Campsite Corp., which divided the property and sold trailer
home lots to approximately 50 families between 1979 and the present.
In August 1987, EPA inspected the site and collected soil samples.
Analysis of these and subsequent soil samples indicate that high
concentrations of aniline, phenothiazine, benzothiazole, 2-mercapto-
benzothiazole, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons were present. The majority of
the compounds identified are used in manufacturing rubber additives.
In May 1989, EPA used CERCLA emergency funds to remove the crushed
remnants of 108 rusted barrels from a vacant area north and east of the
subdivision. The materials have been secured and sampled while disposal is
being arranged.
On August 3, 1989, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued an
advisory warning that the site poses a significant threat to public health
because of possible contact with contaminated soils and wastes. Under
Section 300.66(b)(4) of the National Contingency Plan, the Federal
regulation by which CERCLA is implemented, a site can be placed on the NPL if
(1) a public health advisory has been issued recommending that people be
removed from the site, (2) EPA determines that the site poses a significant
threat to public health, and (3) EPA anticipates that it will be more cost-
effective to use its remedial authority(available only at NPL sites) than its
emergency removal authority to respond to the site.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Remedial Response Program
-------
National Priorities List
Superfund hazardous waste site listed under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) as amended in 1986
RADIUM CHEMICAL 00., INC.
New York City, New York
The Radium Chemical Co., Inc. (RCC) Site consists of a one-story brick
building at 60-06 27th Avenue in a densely populated residential and
commercial area in Woodside, Queens Borough, New York City, New York.
Established in Manhattan in 1913, RCC transferred operations to Woodside in
the late 1950s. An unrelated firm occupies part of the building, sharing a
common wall with RCC.
Initially, RCC produced luminous paint for watch dials and instruments.
Later it manufactured radium-containing needles and other sealed medical
devices (largely for cancer therapy) for lease or sale to hospitals, medical
centers, and research laboratories. Over the past 20 years, safer techniques
involving cobalt and cesium have been developed, significantly reducing the
use of radium devices. When RCC abandoned the site in 1987, a large number
of sealed containers remained at the site, some of which appeared to be
leaking radium and radon gas. The amount of radium-226 present was estimated
to be 110 curies. Also on the site were hundreds of containers of laboratory
chemicals, many reactive, corrosive, flammable, and potentially shock
sensitive.
In 1983, the New York State Department of Labor suspended RCC's operating
license because of various disposal and safety infractions, and in 1986, the
company was denied permission to resume operations. In 1987, the State
ordered RCC to remove the radium and decontaminate the building. The owner
said he could not afford the cleanup and abandoned the operation.
Elevated levels of radiation have been measured inside certain areas of
the building. On February 10, 1989 the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued
an advisory warning that the RCC site poses a significant threat to public
health because of the possible release of radium-226. Under Section
300.66(b)(4) of the National Contingency Plan, the Federal regulation by
which CERCIA is implemented, a site can be placed on the NPL if (1) a public
health advisory has been issued recommending that people be removed from the
site, (2) EPA determines that the site poses a significant threat to public
health, and (3) EPA anticipates that it will be more cost effective to use
its remedial authority (available only at NPL sites) than its emergency
removal authority to respond to the site.
The advisory discusses two concerns. One is that an intruder might enter
the RCC site from the adjacent firm (as has happened in the past) and remove
radioactive materials. The second concern is a serious accident. The U.S.
Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory modelled scenarios
involving a gasoline tanker accident on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a
major regional artery that is 15 feet east of the RCC site. An estimated
27,000 people live within 1 mile of the site and could be exposed to
radiation released in an accident.
In July 1988, at the request of the State, EPA undertook a limited removal
action using CERCIA emergency funds. EPA provided 24-hour security and took
measures to stabilize the site. In April 1989, EPA started to transport the
radioactive and hazardous materials to approved disposal facilities.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Remedial Response Program
------- |