ATSDR - PHA - Bell Landfill, Wyalusing - Terry Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania

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INTERIM PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT

BELL LANDFILL
WYALUSING - TERRY TOWNSHIP, BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Based on the information reviewed, the ATSDR has concluded that this site is an indeterminate public health hazard because limited data available do not indicate whether humans are being exposed to hazardous substances at concentrations that may result in adverse health effects. As noted in the Public Health Implications Section above, human exposure to contaminated vapors released from the leachate streams may be occurring. The information necessary to determine if exposure to air contaminants is of public health concern has not been provided to the ATSDR for review. Additional sampling of private drinking water supplies should be conducted to confirm that human exposure via ingestion and inhalation is not of public health concern.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are made:

Obtain hydrogeologic information to characterize ground water flow patterns in the site area, and conduct periodic monitoring of the on-site monitoring well and nearby residential wells to confirm that contamination by site-related contaminants is not occurring.
Prevent human exposure to leachate-contaminated media.
Conduct an inventory to determine use of private wells by residents in the area of the site.
Determine the extent of contamination by site-related chemicals in the farm pond, the two unnamed tributaries to Sugar Run Creek, and Sugar Run Creek. Prevent possible human exposures to contaminated vapors released from these sources, and as necessary, determine the extent of contamination in food chain entities.
Conduct real-time air monitoring (in the human breathing zone) to determine contaminant vapor levels by leachate-contaminated surface water and sediments. Prevent potential future exposures to contaminated leachate and vapors released from contaminated leachate by restricting public access to the site and removing contaminated leachate from areas immediately off-site that are accessible to humans.
Restrict access to the site, and remove or secure physical hazards (e.g., rusted drums, exposed garbage) at the site.
The Bell Landfill site in Wyalusing, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, has been evaluated by the ATSDR Health Activities Recommendation Panel (HARP) for appropriate follow-up with respect to health activities. Available information is insufficient to determine whether exposure of residents to contaminants occurs at levels of public health concern. For this reason, ATSDR has concluded that no follow-up health activities should be pursued at this time. If more information becomes available in the future indicating that human exposure to hazardous substances is occurring or has occurred in the past at levels of public health concern, ATSDR will reevaluate this site for any additional indicated follow-up health activities.
If future ATSDR evaluations indicate that a substantive completed exposure pathway exists or that the community has expressed specific recent health concerns, then health outcome data bases should be evaluated in future assessments for this site.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) has a cooperative agreement with ATSDR to conduct public health assessments. If new information becomes available, ATSDR, in conjunction with PADOH, will re-evaluate the site and determine if an updated public health assessment or an addendum to the public health assessment is needed.

PREPARERS OF REPORT

Environmental and Health Effects Assessors:

Stephanie Prausnitz
Environmental Health Scientist
Division of Health Assessment
and Consultation

ATSDR REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

REFERENCES

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Preliminary Assessment: Bell's Sanitary Landfill, January 17, 1980.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Preliminary Assessment (Update): Terry Township Landfill, prepared by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, April 3, 1985.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Site Investigation: Bell's Sanitary Landfill, March 29, 1980.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Site Investigation: Bell Landfill, prepared by NUS Corporation, January 9, 1986.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hazard Ranking System, Bell Landfill, prepared by NUS Corporation, May 6, 1986.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Target Population Study: Bell Landfill, prepared by NUS Corporation, November 5, 1985.
Internal Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Memorandum, Field Trip Summary Report: Terry Township Landfill, April 18, 1985.
Correspondence from Ernest G. Parker, Secretary, Citizens for a Cleaner Environment, to Honorable Robert P. Casey, Terry Township Landfill, March 23, 1987.
Analytical Data Laboratory Report: Bell's Landfill, prepared for Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, July 29, 1987.
Correspondence from Ronald Hughey, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, to Dave Masters, resident of Bell Landfill site area, Aquatic Biological Investigation, Unnamed Tributaries to Sugar Run, May 13, 1985.
Internal Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Memorandum, Aquatic Biological Investigation, Unnamed Tributaries to Sugar Run, May 7, 1985.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Methylene Chloride, April 1989.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Trichloroethylene, October 1989.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Tetrachloroethylene (Draft), December 1987.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Cadmium, March 1989.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Lead (Draft), February 1988.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Silver, December 1990.
Harry G. Armstrong Aerospace Research Library, The Installation and Restoration Program Toxicology Guide, Vol. 1, October 1985.

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