Solving Hazardous Waste Problems - ACS Publications - American

Chapter 15

Solving Dioxin Contamination Problems in Missouri Morris Kay and Ralph Hazel

Downloaded by TUFTS UNIV on June 3, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: April 24, 1987 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1987-0338.ch015

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VII, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101

This paper discusses measures taken by U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VII, to deal with the problem of dioxin contamination in Missouri. Investigations which were carried out to identify the sites of contamination are described, along with temporary measures which were taken to protect public health and the environment from the dioxin contamination. The Region's participation in an accelerated research effort to find solutions to the problem is detailed, particularly a project whereby the EPA mobile incinerator was brought to a farm site in Southwest Missouri to demonstrate its effectiveness in destroying dioxin. Finally, the paper describes cleanup activities which have been completed or are well underway as the Agency moves rapidly toward a comprehensive, final solution to the Missouri dioxin problem.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) working with the state and other federal agencies has moved rapidly to clean up dioxin contamination i n Missouri. Since the buy out of Times Beach i n 1983, EPA has developed safe clean-up technology to remove dioxin-laden s o i l and destroy the dioxin by incineration. In addition, EPA has successfully removed dioxin materials from residences and streets and rehabilitated previously contaminated property. More than 40 s i t e s have been i d e n t i f i e d i n the state of Missouri where s o i l i s contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) at levels above 1.0 parts per b i l l i o n . Many of the s i t e s resulted from dioxin-containing wastes being mixed with waste o i l and sprayed as a dust suppressant. Other s i t e s such as the Minker residential area were contaminated by using s o i l as f i l l d i r t which had been sprayed f o r dust control and excavated and moved from a horse arena. Knowledge of the dioxin spraying a c t i v i t i e s did not f u l l y become known to Region VII EPA u n t i l 1982 when a f u l l investigation was This chapter not subject to U.S. copyright. Published 1987, American Chemical Society

Exner; Solving Hazardous Waste Problems ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1987.


15. KAY AND HAZEL

Solving Dioxin Contamination Problems in Missouri

started. Since that time two hundred f i f t y - t w o (252) potential s i t e s have been investigated i n the State. In the course of these i n v e s t i gations, 13,593 s o i l samples have been collected and analyzed by Region VII. As dioxin contamination was found, the Region immediately proceeded with temporary measures to ensure that: (1) People would have very minimal contact, i f any, with the dioxin-contaminated s o i l ; (2) Barriers were put i n place to prevent contact with or subsequent migration of the contaminated s o i l s . I n i t i a l l y , families were relocated and at Times Beach and Minker the State purchased the properties using Superfund money; (3) EPA Region VII immediately began studies to remove and/or destroy the dioxin and at subsequent s i t e s the dioxin-contaminated material was removed safely (gathered and contained) by cleaning and vacuuming. The contaminated s i t e s are located i n two general areas of the State; Southwest Missouri, where the f a c i l i t y which was the o r i g i n of the waste i s located, and the St. Louis area i n Eastern Missouri. The s i t e s are located in a wide variety of r e s i d e n t i a l , i n d u s t r i a l and rural settings, with diverse topographical and geological compositions. These variations combined with the massive volumes of contaminated materials (possibly more than two hundred thousand cubic yards) have posed a massive challenge to EPA and the state of Missouri. However, cleanup projects are underway i n Missouri. Cleanup a c t i v i t i e s have been safely completed at several s i t e s and are well underway at a number of s i t e s ; s t i l l others are on the drawing board with mitigation plans moving ahead rapidly. This emerging success story i s due to the e f f o r t s and talents of several organizations. These include the EPA, The Centers f o r Disease Control, The National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the Missouri D i v i s i o n of Health, and several contractors including Riedel International, IT Enviroscience, Roy F. Weston, Battelle-Northwest and C H 2 M H i l l i n Eastern Missouri, and IT Enviroscience, Foster Wheeler Enviresponse and Cornejo and Sons i n Southwest Missouri. At sites i n the St. Louis area where cleanup e f f o r t s are well underway the work i s being carried out under hazard mitigation plans developed and peer reviewed as team e f f o r t s by the agencies and firms mentioned previously(l)These plans l i s t as key components: Community Relations - a comprehensive e f f o r t to ensure that affected residents, elected o f f i c i a l s and the public i n general are kept informed of a l l a c t i v i t i e s at the s i t e s . I n i t i a t i v e s such as moving an incinerator to Southwest Missouri took a massive comprehensive e f f o r t to ensure that c i t i z e n s received consistent, accurate technical information on a process with which they were unfamiliar. Components included briefings for neighbors of the Denney Farm and l o c a l elected o f f i c i a l s . A special brochure and s l i d e show detailed the burning process and fact sheets and photographs gave tangible evidence of what EPA planned to do. A l l major c i v i c organizations were included i n an intensive


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speaking tour. Additionally, an EPA Information Center was established at the Denney Farm to answer questions posed by the public. A series of Information Center t r a i l e r s at Castlewood, Quail Run, and Minker/ Stout i n Eastern Missouri serve similar functions. Regular business hours are maintained, with EPA personnel also available on Saturday mornings 0 2 ) . Relocation - During the i n i t i a l months of discovery of individual s i t e s , there was no alternative other than possible relocation of some affected families to protect human health. As EPA has learned more about the charact e r i s t i c s of dioxin, mitigation i s now possible through various alternatives, without long-term interruption of family l i f e . Cleanup, Excavation, Transportation and Storage - Based on health advisories from the Centers f o r Disease Control, and the state health agency, contaminated materials are excavated u n t i l no dioxin i s l e f t behind i n the s o i l at a cleanup level of 1 ppb and, where excavation takes place, clean s o i l i s put down so that people w i l l not come i n contact with dioxin-contaminated s o i l . The basic approach involves innovative excavation of 4- to 6-inch layers of contaminated material. Then the area i s sampled i n a s t a t i s t i c a l l y v e r i f i a b l e manner to assure cleanup below 1 ppb at the 95 percent confidence l e v e l . Excavated s o i l i s loaded into s p e c i a l l y designed, lined polypropylene containers and placed on p l a s t i c sheeting f o r subsequent loading by crane into lined trucks. Then loaded containers are transported to central storage f a c i l i t i e s . Where excavation i s completed that area i s then f i l l e d back i n with clean s o i l and revegetated. These storage structures meet a l l pertinent requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Each building has a concrete foundation and catch basin, a 1,000 p s i r o l l e d asphaltic concrete f l o o r with sealer applied and each wood frame, steel-sided building encloses the entire foundation area. These b u i l d ings are secured with fences which w i l l be posted, locked and inspected regularly by MDNR personnel. Thus, safe, secure, temporary storage i s assured u n t i l a permanent disposal method can be planned and implemented. A l l cleanup, transportation and storage procedures are conducted safely with methodologies to prevent f u g i t i v e emissions or s p i l l a g e . A fundamental concept to any a c t i v i t y i s : disturb the dioxin area only, preserving trees and other vegetation and the general environment wherever possible. The opened area i s then restored with clean s o i l and a vegetation cover.


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KAY AND HAZEL

Solving Dioxin Contamination Problems in Missouri

Health and Safety - Plan prescribes the workplace practices and controls required to prevent employee exposure to 2,3,7,8-TCDD during handling of dioxin-contaminated materials. Air Monitoring - An a i r sampling network for worker protection and general population exposure i s established as part of cleanup a c t i v i t i e s . The network c o l l e c t s samples f o r the i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of total suspended solids and dioxin.


Contingency Plan - Outlines the procedures to be followed i n the u n l i k e l y event of any unplanned release of hazardous materials at the s i t e . Structure Decontamination - Outlines a sampling plan for contaminated buildings. Subsequently describes cleanup procedures so that f a c i l i t y i s cleaned u n t i l no dioxin i s detected at analytical detection levels of O.3 ppb or l e s s . Cost Summary - Outlines the budget f o r the project. Concurrent with these e f f o r t s i n Eastern Missouri, EPA embarked on an accelerated research and development program to f i n d permanent solutions to the dioxin contamination problem. Paramount to this e f f o r t i s a project whereby the Agency's mobile incinerator was transported from i t s home base i n Edison, New Jersey, to the Denney Farm s i t e i n Southwest Missouri i n December 1984. The Denney Farm was selected f o r the incinerator because approximately 90 drums of waste containing dioxin from the production of hexachlorophene was buried i n a trench on the farm. That material had been excavated and stored on s i t e and was readily available f o r incineration. The i n i t i a l mitigation of the s i t e was performed by EPA. Syntex, the owner of the f a c i l i t y where the dioxin originated, is located only a few miles from the farm s i t e and was w i l l i n g to do the s i t e preparation work plus provide other dioxin-contaminated materials f o r this research-oriented project. The mobile incinerator passed a series of t r i a l burns (conducted between February 25 and A p r i l 8, 1985) and attained destruction and removal e f f i c i e n c i e s exceeding 99.999 percent as required by RCRA for 2,3,7,8-TCDD-contaminated materials burned i n the system. Furthermore, the waste process streams, consisting of k i l n ash and quench water, were successfully d e l i s t e d . Following the successful completion of the t r i a l burns, an operating permit was issued f o r a f u l l - f i e l d demonstration at the s i t e . On July 23, 1985, this demonstration began by feeding dioxincontaminated l i q u i d s and solids into the incinerator (3). In addition to the Denney Farm wastes, four other dioxin s i t e s in Southwest Missouri have been cleaned. The s i t e s include T a l l y , Rusha, Erwin and Neosho. These cleanups were carried out using procedures similar to those previously described f o r s i t e s i n Eastern Missouri. The wastes from a l l the Southwest Missouri s i t e s


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were taken to Denney Farm f o r incineration. To date, more than two m i l l i o n pounds of s o l i d s and 180,000 pounds of liquids contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDD have been safely burned i n the incinerator. The operation was temporarily halted awaiting additional Superfund d o l l a r s . Once burning resumes, only a few weeks are needed to complete the materials at the Denney Farm S i t e . During the interim period an engineering study has been conducted evaluating ways to increase the throughput and e f f i c i e n c y of the incinerator. Based on the results of this study, a decision was made to make modifications to the unit involving enlargement of the feed system, addition of a cyclone separator, replacing the particulate f i l t e r with a more e f f i c i e n t system and converting the a i r supply i n the secondary combustion chamber to a pure oxygen system. EPA i s sensitive to the concerns of those residents whose communities have been contaminated with dioxin. We are moving forward with cleanup a c t i v i t i e s and tremendous progress has already been made toward our overall goal, which i s a comprehensive, f i n a l solution to the Missouri dioxin problem.

Literature

Cited

(1) Keffer, W.G.; Wurtz, S.; Newbore, G.; Howard, D.; Exner, J.H.; "Quail Run Hazard Mitigation Plan," U.S. EPA Region 7 Report, Kansas City, KS, 1984. (2) "Community Relations Plan, EPA Mobile Incinerator Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Public Region 7, May 1984. (3) Proc. 1986 Haz. Materials May 1986.

Spills

Project," Affairs,

Conference St. Louis, Mo,

RECEIVED November 25, 1986


U.S.

Solving Hazardous Waste Problems - ACS Publications - American

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