v>EPA

United States
Environmental Protectior
Agency

For more information

If you have questions or comments
about EPA's cleanup of TCE or
about the Galen Myers Dump site,
contact one of these EPA team
members:

For technical questions
Margaret Gielniewski
Remedial Project Manager
312-886-6244

gielniewski.margaret@epa.gov

For general questions
Heriberto Leon
Community Involvement
Coordinator
312-886-6163
leon.heriberto@epa.gov

You may call EPA"s Chicago
regional office toll-free at 800-621 -
8431, weekdays, 9:30 a.m. - 5: 30
p.m.

Additional information is available
at www.epa.gov/superfund/galen-
myers-dump.

EPA Continues Response to
Vapor Concerns

Galen Myers Dump/Drum Salvage Site
Osceola, Indiana

August 2016

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigators continue to collect
underground soil gas—known as sub-slab gas—and indoor air samples
from homes in Osceola this summer. They are checking for an
environmental problem called "vapor intrusion." Vapor intrusion can occur
when pollutants dissolved in underground water—known as groundwater—
or buried in the soil give off harmful vapors. These gases can seep into
basement cracks or holes and cause hazardous indoor air pollution.

Systems to remove hazardous vapors may be installed in some homes in the
target neighborhood. The systems will lower the indoor air concentrations
of a hazardous pollutant called trichloroethylene, or TCE.

Soil gas levels and indoor air samples taken in and around neighborhood
houses last spring found TCE fumes were trapped in the ground at specific
locations. Some homes were identified with vapor intrusion issues. There is
also the potential for vapor intrusion in homes that have not yet been tested.

Michigan
Site Location

St. Joseph

Galen Myers
Site Boundary

Area of Indoor Air
and Subslab Soil
Gas Investigation



Map shows the site boundary, the area of investigation, and the Administrative
Control Area.

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TCE is in a family of chemicals called volatile organic
compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are derived from
petroleum products and can pollute soil and
groundwater supplies. Once in the ground or
groundwater, VOCs can evaporate and release harmful
gases. This TCE came from the nearby Galen Myers
Dump/Dram Salvage site (see map P. 1). Indiana
Department of Environmental Management is
monitoring the groundwater every year to track natural
groundwater cleanup.

About the Galen Myers site

From the 1970s until 1983, Mr. Galen Myers operated
a drum recycling business on his property at 11303
Edison Drive, Osceola. The business accepted 55-
gallon drums filled with various solid- and liquid-
chemical waste materials. The drums were emptied on
the ground and then sold as trash containers and burn
barrels. The spilled chemicals, including TCE, and
other types of VOCs, entered the groundwater at the
site. In the 1980s and 1990s, EPA sampled nearby
residential wells and found dissolved VOCs at elevated
concentrations in the water. By 1996, EPA had
provided a public drinking water connection to around
180 Osceola residences affected by the contamination.

In 2015, EPA conducted investigations to evaluate the
vapor intrusion potential. If gases containing pollutants
enter a home, they could be inhaled by occupants over
long periods and cause health issues.

Photo shows the exterior structure of a typical vapor
mitigation system. The system vents harmful gases trapped
underneath a house to the atmosphere where they quickly
dissipate.

What is TCE?

Trichloroethylene is a colorless, volatile liquid that
evaporates quickly. It is used as a solvent to clean
metal parts. Exposure to high concentrations of
TCE can cause dizziness, headaches, sleepiness,
confusion, nausea, incoordination,
unconsciousness, and even death. These symptoms
usually occur in environments where people have
been exposed to high levels.

For more information about the health effects of
TCE, visit

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfactsl9.pdf

EPA officials plan to sample indoor air and perform
sub-slab testing in 30 additional homes this year. See
photo on P. 3 for an example of a sub-slab testing
canister.

How EPA selects properties to be tested

EPA will choose houses and businesses to be sampled
based on:

•	Gas levels trapped in nearby outdoor soil,
called "soil gas" and the amount of TCE found
in groundwater.

•	Nearness to the suspected source of pollution.

•	Nearness to properties that tested positive to
sub-slab and indoor air contamination

If your home is selected to be sampled, EPA
representatives will contact you. If EPA officials do not
contact you, your property is not among those that will
be scheduled for testing at this time.

Immediate removal activities

In August EPA completed an immediate removal
action at homes that tested positive for unsafe levels of
harmful gases. The action consisted of the installation
of vapor-lowering equipment that is very similar to
radon mitigation systems common to many Midwestern
houses. The systems remove harmful gases from
beneath a structure and vent them into the atmosphere
where they are diluted and broken down by sunlight.

Recent work and next steps

At the beginning of August, EPA sent out requests for
access agreements to additional homeowners to sample
properties near those already found to have vapor
intrusion. This sampling follows the 2015 EPA Vapor
Intrusion Guidance. The guidance document helps the

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Agency continue the progression of sampling until a
clear outline of the vapor intrusion area is mapped out.
If test results come back below action levels for two
consecutive sampling events then no immediate further
action is needed at the sampled property. Sampling is
generally done six months apart to account for seasonal
variation. Sampling is expected to occur this October-
November and March-April 2017.

EPA officials will determine whether action is needed
based on sample results. If vapor intrusion is
happening, EPA officials will determine when to offer
installation of the mitigation systems based on the
health threats inside the house or building. EPA
investigators will also check the effectiveness of
currently installed mitigation systems and closely study
sample results to determine if additional steps are
needed.

Meanwhile, IDEM will continue to collect annual
groundwater samples from the established monitoring
well network every June/July. All the vapor intrusion
and groundwater sample results will be used to help
EPA experts determine whether groundwater cleanup is
needed. As mentioned before, pollutants dissolved in
underground water are one of the root causes of vapor
intrusion.

A small hole is drilled in the floor of a basement or slab
where a tube is inserted to test for the presence of harmful
vapors that may be trapped in the ground. This is called "sub-
slab " testing. The canister is removed after a couple of days
and then analyzed in a laboratory.

How properties are tested

Technicians will take one or more air samples from a
structure deemed to be at-risk from vapor intrusion. A
device may be placed in the basement of the house or
building. However, if you only have a crawl space, the
device may be placed in a living area of the house such as
a family room or kitchen.

If you have a basement, technicians may drill a small
hole in the floor to install another device that will test the
air under your house or building. They will repair the
hole when the equipment is removed. Devices used to
take indoor air samples are simple canisters that must
remain in place for 24 hours.

A simple canister is placed on a table or counter for a
couple of days to test for indoor air pollution from vapor
intrusion.

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EPA Continues Response
to Vapor Concerns

EPA officials conduct a time-critical removal action and will
sample homes and install vapor removal systems this summer

If you have questions, concerns or comments about these activities, contact:

Margaret Gielniewski	Heriberto Leon

Remedial Project Manager	Community Involvement Coordinator

312-886-6244	"312-886-6163

gielniewski.margaret@epa.gov	leon.henberto@epa.gov

Online: www.epa.gov/superfund/galen-myers-duinp

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