In a true local scenario, the word “superfund” has turned normally cogent people into irrational human beings. When one hears the words possible carcinogen, all rational thought is thrown out the window, because now the locals are involved.
At a very recent meeting at the local firehouse, people met to discuss progress concerning perceived groundwater contamination from an industrial site dating back to the 1980’s. EPA immediately converged on the site, and found the major groundwater and air contaminant to be TCE (trichloroethylene).
But on the TCE Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), it was listed as a “possible human carcinogen”. Carcinogen is defined as “a substance that produces, or tends to produce cancer”. As a result, the cancer flag was raised for the area, and major concerns ensued.
The EPA took samples within a 1-mile radius, and the county a 5-mile radius. One gentleman proclaimed that his family came down with 10 cases of cancer because of the contaminated site. Even the media proclaimed that contamination levels were 4,000 times the safe drinking levels. The site was labeled “superfund”. Many residents wildly ranted that they wanted to exit the area as soon as possible, yet couldn’t sell their houses because of the alleged contamination. “Mushrooming” is probably a good word.
The public doesn’t remember that the EPA actually reduced the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of TCE to 5 parts per billion (ppb). In 1985 it was 100 parts per million (ppm)—or 20,000x higher. Most of the decrease was from the general conclusion that TCE posed a more significant human-heath risk than previous studies had indicated.
The EPA sampled 66 wells in the immediate area. Only one exceeded the MCL. Most others were non-detectable, but below the MCL. Additional sampling revealed an average of 1.2 ppb for residential areas very near the TCE contamination.
Amazingly, several years ago TCE was considered an excellent solvent for a variety of organic materials. It was used as a dry-cleaning solvent for years, but its major use was to extract vegetable oils from soy, coconut and palm. It was also typically used in coffee decaffeination, and as a gas anesthetic (breathing up to 1% vapor [10,000 ppm]).
Because of favorable analgesic properties, “Trilene” (TCE) inhalers were used by thousands to self-administer analgesia, especially those about to give birth. People exposed to high levels of TCE are certainly now into the millions.
The National Toxicology Program has shown that high exposure has sometimes produced liver cancer in mice and kidney cancer in rats—therefore it’s listed as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”. But so far in over 100 years, no human is known to have gotten cancer from TCE exposure.
An EPA soil-vapor extraction system has operated since installation on 7/20/06, and is still successfully removing contaminants from the soils. The one resident sampled which was over the MCL, was provided a separate water source by the EPA. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has instructed this Superfund site to expedite complete remediation. The site has agreed, with a complete plan to come out in April.
Technically, one drop of any contaminant can destroy any watershed or groundwater system for huge tracts of land. Have you checked your drinking water lately? After >$1,000,000 spent for remediation (EPA), false claims of liability (cancer scare), disintegration of the local real estate values, and over 500 very upset residents, a 25 year old plating facility is made the scapegoat for gratuitous fears.
With those expenditures, one wonders why the government is overspending. And quite possibly, the limit of ‘detect-ability’ has now exceeded the dangerous range in many cases. When one’s wife uses hairspray, is she exposed to 500 ppm of dimethylether/various hydrocarbons, or possibly 50,000 ppm (5 % in air)? What about breathing another car’s exhaust for a few minutes while driving? The possibilities are endless…
It’s amazing the information one can get from a rogue Chemical Engineer who lives within a mile of this ‘labeled’ Superfund Site.
Kevin Roeten can be reached at roetenks@charter.net or kevin@kevinroeten.us.
