TIME-SENSITIVE MATERIAL
Response needed by October 15, 2015
Exide Battery Neighborhood Soil Lead Cleanup
Frankfort, Indiana
Availability Session
Come to talk to EPA, ask questions, and sign up to get
your property sampled.
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 4 - 7:00 p.m.
Frankfort Community Public Library, Room 219
208 W. Clinton St.
(Details inside)
The project has two key objectives:
TO PROTECT CHILDREN'S HEALTH
•	Unhealthy levels of lead are found in the soil in
many residences in the neighborhoods
surrounding the former Exide factory.
•	Lead ingestion in young children can result in
damage to the nervous system and mental
impairment.
•	Lead contamination in communities is due to
the historic use of lead paint and leaded fuel
and other lead containing products.
TO MINIMIZE IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY
•	All work will be done free of cost to property
owners.
•	Work will be done on weekdays, during
business hours only.
•	EPA will work with property owners/residents
to schedule cleanup dates that are convenient
for them, as much as possible.
•	The project has been designed to incorporate
resources, processes, and materials that will
avoid major disruption to the community and
to the environment.
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*>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
You're invited
EPA will host an availability
session about the pollution cleanup:
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 4 - 7:00 p.m.
Frankfort Community Public
Library, Room 219
208 W. Clinton St.
For more information
If you have questions, comments or
need more information about the
Exide cleanup contact these EPA
team members:
For technical questions
Shelly Lam
On-Scene Coordinator
317-308-3073
lam.shelly@epa.gov
For general questions
Charles Rodriguez
Community Involvement
Coordinator
312-886-7472
rodriguez.charles@epa.gov
EPA mailing address:
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Mail Code: SI-7J
Chicago, IL 60604
On the Web:
www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/exide
battery
EPA to Begin Removal of
Lead-Contaminated Soil
Exide Battery Superfund Site
Frankfort, Indiana	September 2015
Beginning in late September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
will begin cleaning up lead contamination in yards and restoring properties
in the neighborhoods near the Exide Battery facility. Hie cleanup will be
conducted at no cost to property owners or residents. EPA officials will also
be testing houses for another pollution issue called "vapor intrusion." Vapor
intrusion occurs when pollutants underground give off hazardous gases that
can seep into indoor air through holes and cracks in building foundations
and crawl spaces.
This spring, EPA conducted an investigation of lead-contaminated soil in
the area around the former Exide facility. Results of the site assessment
showed elevated lead in some of the properties tested/ The EPA health
standard for lead in soil is 400 parts lead per million per million parts.
Several yards were found to have lead above this standard. These levels
pose a risk, especially to children's health. Not every property sampled in
the target area demonstrated excessive lead levels. EPA is planning a
response action for all yards that do have the elevated concentrations (see
Figure I).
The removal action is called ""time-critical" in EPA terms because the lead
poses an immediate health threat if it is left in the yards. The cleanup will
Legend
~
Time-Critical
Removal Area
Godef
Exide Site
E McClurg St
McCarty St <
E Jefferson St
E Morrison St
E Morrison St
Jr E Ohio St

z
Figure 1: The area outlined in red is the area that, will be part of the lead
cleanup. The former Exide facility is outlined in Yellow.

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consist of an approach called "dig and haul" of
contaminated soil to an approved landfill.
The primary cleanup methods for lead in residential
soil include:
•	Excavation - Excavation of contaminated soil
from a property involves digging it up for
treatment or for disposal in a landfill.
Removing this potential source of
contamination keeps people from coming into
contact with dangerous lead levels.
•	Replacing soil - Clean soil will be brought in
to replace the contaminated soil excavated
from yards.
•	Green-capping - Using green cover such as
sod to create a protective layer above the soil.
Is excavation safe?
Handling contaminated soil requires precautions to
verify safety. Site workers are trained to follow safety
procedures while excavating dirt to avoid contact with
contaminants and prevent the spread of lead.
Any trees and well-established bushes will be left in
place. If there are additional plants the resident or
owner would like preserved, EPA will accommodate
those requests as much as possible. Yards will be
returned to their original state, or residents can also
choose a more eco-friendly option that is cost
equivalent.
Workers may wear masks to perform the work because
they will be in close proximity to dust for the entire
period of the neighborhood cleanup. However, it is safe
for you and your children to be in the surrounding area.
You might see heavy traffic in the neighborhood. There
will be trucks taking the contaminated soil to an
approved landfill. Crews will take precautionary
measures to make sure the contaminated soil remains
securely contained while it travels to its final
destination.
Site history
Exide acquired the facility at 555 N. Hoke Ave. in 1987
from General Battery Co. and made batteries there until
1998. Battery production creates lead vapors and
airborne lead dust. Since February 1999, Exide used the
facility to store equipment from its other locations. In
April 2014, two underground storage tanks were
removed and solvents were found in soil and
underground water supplies. Both lead and these
solvents, such as trichloroethene, or TCE, may threaten
the health of nearby residents.
Scheduling your home for sampling
EPA will test your yard and house for free to determine
if a cleanup is necessary. Homeowners must have
their houses sampled before Oct. 15 in order to be
eligible for the no-cost soil removal. To sign up for
testing, complete the enclosed access agreement and
return it to:
Charles Rodriguez
EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd
Mail Code: SI-7J
Chicago, IL 60604
Scheduling your yard for cleanup and
restoration
EPA is planning to start the comprehensive cleanup for
the entire Exide neighborhood this fall for properties
with excessive lead in the soil. The work should take
about three months to complete. Actual work for each
yard will take about three to five days.
Cleanup is voluntary, and EPA will work closely with
each resident to make sure the cleanup satisfies your
needs and schedules to the best extent possible. EPA
will contact owners and tenants of every property in the
defined area to schedule cleanup and restoration as
needed.
Scheduling will depend on logistics - for example,
doing adjacent yards when possible - as well as
residents' schedules. It is not necessary for you to
contact EPA as we will contact you for scheduling.
However if you would like to offer your contact
information voluntarily so EPA can more easily reach
you. you may send your information to Charles
Rodriguez, whose contact information is listed in the
front-page box.
In the future, available cleanup schedules and
information about the cleanup action will be posted on
the website listed in the P. 1 box. Check back regularly
for updates.
Vapor intrusion
In addition to the soil analysis, EPA also conducted
sampling of the air inside and underneath homes. The
purpose of taking air samples in and under structures is
to detect the presence of potentially harmful vapors
coming from contaminated underground water.
These vapors can move through the soil, accumulate
underneath houses, and enter the indoor air through
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cracks in the foundation, crawlspaces and gaps in
utility lines. As mentioned above, this environmental
issue is known as vapor intrusion, and it can cause
hazardous indoor air pollution.
What chemicals might be in the air?
EPA takes air samples in order to detect a wide range
of chemicals, including volatile organic compounds, or
VQCs. VOCs are substances that can easily evaporate
and move through the soil.
In the Exide neighborhood, the VOC that has been
detected in the air inside some houses is called
trichloroethylene, or TCE. This chemical is commonly
used as a solvent in industries and can be harmful to
human health if the concentrations in the air are high
enough.
Air samples are taken by using small metal canisters
that capture indoor and sub-slab air. One canister is
placed in a living area, and another canister is placed in
the basement; a small hole may be needed to be drilled in
the concrete floor of the basement in order to be able to
access the air underneath the slab.
What happens after the air in a house is
sampled?
After EPA takes air samples in houses, they are analyzed
by specialized laboratories. These lab results are then
compared to EPA guidelines in order to determine if
there is a risk to human health. Homeowners are notified
of their results in a letter from EPA.
If there are high levels of a harmful pollutants detected in
a building, EPA will work with the residents and property
owner to install a vapor mitigation system. This system is
very similar to the ones used for radon gas mitigation in
many Midwestern houses. It consists of a small fan that
moves the air underneath the home through air ducts to
be dispersed outside (see Figure 2 left).
Field office
EPA's field office for the Exide project will be open
every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for residents to drop
in, ask questions, schedule their cleanup (beginning this
fall), and discuss the type of green cap they would like
after treatment.
The exact location of the field office will be determined
soon. It will be located in close proximity to the
residential area where the cleanup will take place. EPA
will inform residents about the location of the field office
once it is finalized.
Figure 2: An example of a system that draws vapors from
the soil and vents them outside. It is known as a "sub-slab
mitigation system " and prevents hazardous indoor air
pollution inside structures that can cause illness and
cancer.
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