• Home
• About ATSDR
• Press Room
• A-Z Index
• Glossary
• Employment
• Contact Us
• CDC

ATSDR en Español

Search:

Skip directly to: content | left navigation | search

---

Find a Publication

1. ATSDR > Public Health Assessments & Consultations

PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT

Bloomington PCB Sites
Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
and
Spencer, Owen County, Indiana

SUMMARY

Based on the environmental data and information reviewed by staff of the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), the six PCB sites discussed in this report are concluded to pose a past public health hazard to specific subpopulations in Owen and Monroe Counties, who were exposed to site-related PCBs through completed pathways. Evidence indicates that humans were exposed in the past at the six Consent Decree sites, to PCBs and other contaminants in the environment. If exposures to the concentrations of the contaminants present at one or more of the Consent Decree sites occurred frequently and for long-term (greater than 1 year) such exposures, could cause adverse health effects.

Soil and fish taken from site-related streams and creeks exceeded the Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR) Minimal Risk Level (MRL) for Chronic oral exposures. Various PCB-specific epidemiologic studies have been performed on the Bloomington community. These studies did not reveal an excess number of medical problems or conditions in members of the affected community compared with members of comparison communities who were not exposed.

A review of the health outcome data for Monroe and Owen Counties did not indicate that the sites have adversely affected the health of the general population. Elevated PCB body burdens were found in specific subgroups from Monroe and Owen Counties; i.e., scavengers and fish eaters. These subgroups may have signs and symptoms of adverse health outcomes related to exposures at the site that would not be identified through analysis of county-wide databases.

These six sites pose an indeterminate public health hazard because groundwater in the area is used as a source of potable water, and because PCBs have been found in private wells, although not at high levels. Private well sampling data for chemicals other than PCBs were available only for Neal's Landfill. Because groundwater under the sites is known to be contaminated, the potential for contamination of private wells remains.

PCBs were found at a level of health concern in land depressions and springs associated with the six sites. No data were available at the time of the writing of this report to indicate that the springs and depressions associated with the Lemon Lane Landfill have been remediated, or that provisions have been made to ensure that humans are not exposed to significant concentrations of PCBs or other hazardous substances.

In accordance with ATSDR guidelines, the ISDH has recommended the following actions: 1) monitoring of all sites for contaminants of concern present in and transported into private wells, 2) remedial actions be taken to ensure that humans are not exposed to significant concentrations of hazardous substances potentially found in the streams (Lemon Lane) and depressions (Lemon Lane), 3) continued monitoring of fish taken from waterways associated with the six sites, 4) reevaluation of the surface water collection system at Neal's Landfill to ensure protection of human and environmental health, 5) continued communication with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to ensure that human health is not at risk because of the proposed interchange for State Routes 37 and 46 near Bennett Stone Quarry, 6) washing and peeling (before eating) of all root crop vegetables grown in sewage sludge-treated gardens, 7) development of Health Professional Education programs for nurses and primary care physicians, 8) surface soil sampling by state and federal environmental agencies at the approximately 180 other PCB-contaminated sites to establish priorities for cleanup, 9) congener-specific serum PCB analyses of people whose blood has previously been tested for PCBs, 10) a study of contaminant levels within the ABB Corporation (formerly Westinghouse Corporation) plant and their effect on the health of workers, and 11) reevaluation of former Westinghouse workers.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Electrical capacitors have been manufactured in Bloomington (Monroe County) since 1958 by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (the plant was sold by Westinghouse to ABB in January 1990). PCBs, predominantly Aroclor 1242 and Aroclor 1016 (42 percent and 41 percent chlorine by weight respectively), were used as dielectric insulating fluids in these capacitors from 1958 through 1977 when the manufacture and commercial distribution of PCBs was banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Capacitors not meeting quality control specifications were disposed in four landfills in Monroe County (Anderson Road Landfill, Bennett' Dump, Lemon Lane Landfill, and Neal's Landfill) and at one site in Owen County (Neal's Dump) by local waste haulers. Since draining the dielectric fluid from these capacitors was very labor intensive, they were discarded without being drained.

In 1976, PCBs were found in the influent and effluent of the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant in Bloomington, and in sterilized sewage sludge obtained from the plant by citizens who used it for fertilizer in their gardens. EPA later found that Westinghouse had been discharging waste PCBs and/or PCBs which were spilled during manufacturing processes, into the sanitary sewer system.

A Consent Decree was signed on May 25, 1985, by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the City of Bloomington, and Monroe County. Westinghouse is required to remove an estimated 650,000 cubic yards of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated soils, sludge, solid waste, and stream sediments from six sites located in the Bloomington, Indiana area. (U.S. District Court. Consent Decree. 1985)

The Consent Decree PCB sites are the Anderson Road Landfill, Bennett Stone Quarry, Lemon Lane Landfill, Neal's Dump, Neal's Landfill, and the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant. Two of the sites, Anderson Road Landfill and the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant, are Consent Decree enforced cleanup sites; the others are all on the National Priorities List (NPL).

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry(ATSDR), a federal public health agency, has undertaken a multi-phase project to address concerns related to the impact of the six Consent Decree sites on public health.

This project has three purposes: 1) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the public health impact of the six Consent Decree sites in Monroe and Owen Counties, 2) to determine the public health implications of incinerating the PCB-contaminated soil, and 3) to identify and evaluate the pertinent public health considerations of technically feasible alternatives.

Four tasks will be performed concurrently by ATSDR to fulfill the aforementioned goals. Three of these tasks are associated with issues concerning the incineration of PCB-contaminated soils. Expert panels will be formed to address these three issues.

1. A report will be written describing a comprehensive evaluation of all past, present, and future human exposure pathways, available health outcome data, all previous health studies, and community health concerns associated with the six Consent Decree sites. This report is task number one and will be incorporated into the final ATSDR Public Health Assessment of the six PCB Consent Decree sites.

2. A comprehensive review of site-specific PCB-related health studies is to be performed.

3. The public health implications of incinerating the PCB-contaminated soil will be evaluated.

4. The public health implications of other technically feasible treatment strategies will be evaluated.

BACKGROUND

Staff from the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), and Westinghouse conducted a site visit at the six Consent Decree sites on January 28, 1993. Access to all sites except the Anderson Road Landfill was restricted by locked, chain-link fences posted with warning signs. Anderson Road Landfill is accessible since this is still an operating solid waste landfill. The Interim Storage Facility is at the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant. A plastic liner had been placed on top of the contaminated soil inside the on-site Interim Storage Facility (an aluminum, steel-supported building). A concrete floor and liner prevents contaminated, excavated soil from entering the soil under the storage facility.

Anderson Road Landfill

The Anderson Road Landfill, currently operated as the Monroe County Landfill, is a sanitary landfill approximately 11 miles northeast of Bloomington in Monroe County, Indiana.

The Anderson Road Landfill site is in a sparsely populated area of Monroe County. Land use around the site is mainly for farming. Residences in the area surrounding the site are all connected to the municipal water line. The population within a ½-mile radius of Anderson Road Landfill consists of approximately 30-45 people. Residences closest to the site are east and north within a ¼- to ½-mile radius. All interim remedial measures were completed in 1987.

Bennett Stone Quarry

The Bennett Stone Quarry site, also known as Bennett's Dump, is in central Monroe County about 2½ miles northwest of Bloomington. The site was an industrial waste dump from 1966 to 1980. Stout's Creek runs north along the western side of the site. Private groundwater wells are used for all domestic purposes. Stout's Creek formerly was used for watering cattle. It was also used for mud baths by a few local residents who would also swim and bathe in the quarries.

The Bennett Stone Quarry site is in a sparsely populated area. Fewer than 10 people live within a ½-mile radius of the site. Land near the site has been used for quarry operations. Properties west and northwest are cattle farms. A residential development has been proposed for the area across from the site, immediately west of Stout's Creek.

Lemon Lane Landfill

Lemon Lane Landfill is a landfill covering approximately 10 acres on the northwest side of the City of Bloomington in Monroe County, Indiana. This site was a municipal dump from 1930 to 1964. The site is adjacent to a residential neighborhood to the east and within 1,000 feet of a residential neighborhood to the southwest. A railroad line and a cemetery are adjacent to the site on the south.

Approximately 300 residences are within 2,000 feet of the site. Residences and businesses in the immediate vicinity and downgradient of the site are served by a municipal water supply.

Neal's Dump

Neal's Dump is in Owen County, Indiana. It served as the municipal dump from 1968 to 1972. The actual old fill area is relatively small in comparison with the other Consent Decree sites. Spencer, Indiana, which has a population of 2,609, is approximately 4 miles north of the site. Private residences are within 1,000 feet of the site; the nearest residence is within 50 feet. Private wells are used for potable water. It has been estimated that 954 people live within a 3-mile radius of the site, and that 65 people live within a ¼-mile radius of the site. The primary land use in the site area is agricultural. A preliminary health assessment of the site was conducted by the ISDH in September 1991.

Neal's Landfill

Neal's Landfill is in a rural area of Monroe County, Indiana. The site was a municipal dump from 1949 to 1972. The main fill area covers approximately 150 by 300 yards. Between 30 and 40 people live within a ½-mile radius of the site.

Land use near the site includes 10 to 20 residences approximately ½ mile west and ½ mile north of the site. Wooded lands immediately adjacent to the site do not appear to be used. There is a municipal water service to the immediate area surrounding the site; however, some residences in the vicinity of the site still rely on private groundwater wells.

Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant

The Winston-Thomas facility is an inactive sewage treatment plant owned by the City of Bloomington, Indiana, and located on the southwestern side of the City of Bloomington. In November 1975, Westinghouse advised the City of Bloomington that they had been discharging PCBs into the city sewer system. PCBs were then sampled for and confirmed at high concentrations in sewage, Tertiary Lagoon clay and sludge, and in the trickling filter at the plant.

In July 1986, the Bloomington City Utilities Board approved temporary storage of wastes on city property at the Winston-Thomas site. After the approval and receipt of all necessary permits needed for construction, Westinghouse built the Interim Storage Facility before remediation began at the other sites as outlined in the Consent Decree.

Approximately 500 people live within a 1-mile radius of the site. The site is surrounded by residential areas to the west and south, and by commercial developments to the north and east. A residential area is west of the site beyond Clear Creek and the Illinois Central Railroad tracks. The municipal water supply serves the area in the vicinity of the site. The current status of residential well use in the area is unknown.

The site history, all remedial measures undertaken, the former contaminant levels, and the completed and potential exposure pathways for these sites are shown in the following tables.

ANDERSON ROAD LANDFILL SUMMARY

* Identified in Consent Decree as total soil potentially contaminated.

BENNETT STONE QUARRY SUMMARY

History	Remedial Measures	Former contaminant Levels		Exposure Pathways
		On-Site	Off-Site	Completed	Potential
4-acre site Industrial waste dump 1966-1980 Limestone quarry *55,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soils	chain-link fence installed site capped surface capacitors removed sediments removed from Stout's Creek	Surface Soil 380,000 ppm PCBs Surface Water 7 ppb PCBs Sediment 5 - 102 ppm PCBs Groundwater 1,100,000 ppb PCBs	Residential Wells ND-<1 ppb PCBs Surface Water ND PCBs Fish 6.5 ppm PCBs	Past On-site ambient Air Past On-site Surface Soil Past Off-site Surface Water Past Off-site Sediment	Past On-site Surface Water Past, Present, Future Off-site Groundwater

ND = non-detect
* Identified in Consent Decree as total soil potentially contaminated.

LEMON LANE LANDFILL SUMMARY

ND = non-detect
* Identified in Consent Decree as total soil potentially contaminated.

NEAL'S DUMP SUMMARY

History	Remedial Measures	Former contaminant Levels		Exposure Pathways
		On-Site	Off-Site	Completed	Potential
0.5-acre site Municipal dump 1968-1972 Excavation pit *14,000 cubic yards	Chain-link fence installed Surface capacitors and stained soils removed Erosion control fences installed	Ambient Air 1-61 µg/m3 PCBs Subsurface Soil 88,000 ppm PCBs Surface Soil 220,000 ppm Groundwater 31 ppb PCBs 11 ppb VOCs 8 ppb pesticides 2,600 ppb metals Sediment 275 ppm PCBs	Ambient Air <1 µg/m3 PCBs Surface Soil <0.001 ppm PCBs Residential Wells BDL Spring Sediment ND	Past On-site Surface Soil	Present & Future Off-site Groundwater Past Off-site Sediment Past Off-site Surface Water

BDL = below detection limit
ND = non detect
* Identified in Consent Decree as total soil potentially contaminated.

NEAL'S LANDFILL SUMMARY

History	Remedial Measures	Former contaminant Levels		Exposure Pathways
		On-Site	Off-Site	Completed	Potential
17.6-acre site Municipal dump 1949-1972 Low area between two ridges *325,000 cubic yards	Chain-link fence installed Erosion control fences installed Regraded and capped portions of the site Site drainage re-routed Spring treatment facility installed Sediment collection traps installed Surface capacitors and stained soils removed Sediment in Conard's Branch removed Sediment in Richland Creek removed	Surface Soil 219,000 ppm PCBs Groundwater 9.6 ppb PCBs Surface Water 9.8 ppb PCBs Spring Sediment 1,700 ppm PCBs Fish 279 ppm PCBs Vegetation 1,100 ppm PCBs	Residential Wells ND-7 ppt PCBs Surface Water 6 ppb PCBs 184,000 ppb metals Spring Surface Water 3-7 ppb PCBs 0.1-56 ppb VOCs 40,000 ppb metals Sediment 68 ppb PCBs Fish 8 ppm PCBs	Past On- and Off-site ambient Air Past On-site Sediment Past On- & Off-site Wild Game Past, Present, & Future Off-site Surface Water and Sediment Past Off-site Fish Past On-site Surface Soil	Present & Future Off-site Groundwater Present & Future Off-site Surface Water and Sediment Future Unknown Fish

ND = non-detect
* Identified in Consent Decree as total soil potentially contaminated.

WINSTON-THOMAS SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT SUMMARY

History	Remedial Measures	Former contaminant Levels		Exposure Pathways
		On-Site	Off-Site	Completed	Potential
26-acre site Sewage treatment plant 1933-1982 *Volume - Tertiary Lagoon 55,000 cubic yards - trickling filter rocks 20,000 cubic yards - stored sludge 4,000 cubic yards - digester sludge 5,500 cubic yards - drying bed media 4,400 cubic yards - abandoned lagoons 5,000 cubic yards	Chain-link fence installed Removed sediments from Clear Creek adjacent to the site Work on digester lids and water trickling filter	Ambient Air BDL for PCBs Abandoned lagoon 700 ppm Groundwater 7 ppb PCBs Tertiary Lagoon borings 660 ppm PCBs Tertiary Lagoon clay 15 ppm PCBs Tertiary Lagoon core sludge 4,400 ppm PCBs Tertiary Lagoon sludge 2,400 ppm PCBs Trickling filter 22.1 ppb PCBs	Residential Wells ND-98 ppt PCBs Surface Water ND-0.9 ppb PCBs Sediment ND-1,300 ppm PCBs Fish ND-85 ppm PCBs	Past, Present, & Future Off-site Fish Past, Present, & Future Off-site sewage sludge Past, Present, & Future On- & Off-site wildlife	Past Off- and On-site ambient Air Past & Future On-site Surface Water Past Off-site Surface Water and Sediment Past, Present, & Future Off-site Groundwater Past Off-site Cattle

BDL = below detection limit
ND = non-detect
* Identified in Consent Decree as total soil potentially contaminated.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION

A summary of all chemicals of concern is shown by site and media in the table below. Other chemicals found were not at levels of health concern.

Summary of Chemicals of Concern by Site and Media

Based on the environmental data reviewed, the six PCB sites discussed in this report were deemed by the ISDH to pose a past public health hazard to specific subpopulations in Owen and Monroe Counties. People who participated in the following activities have past completed exposure pathways:

• scavengers;
• people who ate fish from Richland Creek, Conard's Branch, and Clear Creek;
• trespassers;
• children who played on the landfills;
• people who ate wild game that roamed or lived on the landfills;
• people who participated in recreational activities at the quarries, Stout's Creek, Richland Creek, and Conard's Branch;
• people who ate vegetables from gardens where PCB-contaminated sewage sludge was applied; and
• landfill workers.

Information on these exposed populations was gathered through the 1986 exposure Assessment Study conducted on the population surrounding the six PCB Consent Decree sites (Stehr et al. 1986).

Present and future potential exposure pathways exist for the following people from various routes of exposure:

• people who use private wells for potable water;
• people who have contact with springs associated with the Lemon Lane Landfill; and
• people who participate in recreational activities at Richland Creek and Conard's Branch.
• people who eat fish from Richland Creek, Conard's Branch, and Clear Creek

Various PCB-specific epidemiologic studies (see following list) have been conducted on the Bloomington community. These studies did not reveal an excess number of medical problems or conditions in members of affected communities compared with members of comparison communities who were not exposed. Specific increases in disease outcomes and certain types of cancers have been seen in occupationally exposed people.

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study of the health effects of individuals who used PCB-contaminated sewage sludge on their gardens (Baker et al. 1980)

• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study of the metabolic and health consequences of occupational exposures to PCBs (Smith et al. 1982)

• CDC/ISDH studies of PCB exposures of residents near three waste sites (Lemon Lane Landfill, Neal's Landfill, and Bennett Stone Quarry)
  - Health effects associated with serum PCB levels (Stehr et al. 1986)
  - Serum PCB levels in people at high risk of exposure in residential and occupational environments (Stehr et al. 1986)
  - Effects of PCBs and lipemia on serum analysis (Steinberg et al. 1986)

• Study of higher and lower chlorinated serum PCB congeners in individuals who used PCB-contaminated sludge in their gardens and capacitor manufacturing workers (Steele et al. 1986)

• NIOSH/ISDH follow-up health study of workers occupationally exposed to PCBs (NIOSH. HETA 84-339. 1990)

• ISDH/NIOSH study to evaluate the mortality experiences of a cohort of Westinghouse Electric Corporation workers occupationally exposed to PCBs (NIOSH. HETA 89-116-2094. 1991)

• ISDH/NIOSH study of proportional hazards model to examine the variations between cumulative PCB exposure and site-specific cancer mortality (Sinks et al. 1992)

• CDC/ISDH study to evaluate the potential for using domestic animals in the surveillance of environmental exposures (Schilling et al. 1988)

• ISDH/ATSDR study to evaluate the health implications of general community exposures to PCBs (Steele and Richter. 1992)

• NIOSH study of serum PCB concentrations in 50 workers at the Westinghouse plant (Phillips et al. 1989)

A review of the health outcome data for Monroe and Owen counties did not indicate that the sites have had an adverse health impact on the general population. White females were the only population that showed statistically significant increases in cancer (ovaries, cervix, and uterus). The data reviewed did not suggest an environmental component to these cancers since there was no consistent increase in any one particular type. (EPA, U.S. Cancer Mortality Rates and Trends 1959-1979). Data of all fetal deaths in Monroe and Owen Counties were reviewed. The ISDH Birth Problems registry is relatively new; thus, the information it contains cannot yet be analyzed for significant trends or problems that may result from exposure to site-related chemicals.

To evaluate health effects, ATSDR has developed a Minimal Risk Level (MRL) for chemicals commonly found at hazardous waste sites. The MRL is an estimate of daily human exposure to a chemical below which non-cancer, adverse health effects are unlikely to occur. MRLs are based on human and animal studies. MRLs are developed for each route of exposure such as ingestion and inhalation, and for the length of exposure such as acute (less than 14 days), intermediate (15-364 days), and Chronic (greater than 365 days). ATSDR presents these MRLs in toxicological profiles. These chemical-specific profiles provide information on health effects, environmental transport, human exposure, and regulatory status. In the following discussion, wherever possible, ATSDR Toxicological Profiles have been used for the chemical evaluation.

The MRL for Chronic oral exposure was exceeded for estimated doses of PCBs from assumed exposures to contaminated soil, groundwater, sediment, surface water, and consumption of PCB-contaminated fish taken from Richland Creek, Conard's Branch, and Clear Creek.

The table below shows the multi-media PCB ingestion exposure doses and cancer risk summaries for all of the Consent Decree sites. The table shows the assumptions of ingested doses of PCBs present in various media exceeded the ATSDR MRL for noncancer health effects, as well as the extent of cancer risk posed by ingestion at the estimated doses.

Table of PCB Multi-Media ingestion exposure Doses and Cancer risk Summaries for
All of the Consent Decree Sites

* Ingestion Exposure Dose

The six Consent Decree PCB sites pose an indeterminate public health hazard because groundwater is used as a source of potable water. Data on the sampling of private wells for chemicals other than PCBs are available only for Neal's Landfill.

On-site monitoring wells at Anderson Road Landfill and Bennett's Stone Quarry show contamination with dioxins and furans. Community members near these two landfills use water from private wells. On-site monitoring wells show trichloroethylene (TCE) and dioxin contamination at Lemon Lane Landfill. Private wells around this site have been sampled for PCBs. During the dye tracer studies for Lemon Lane Landfill and Neal's Landfill, when dye was found in a residential well, EPA sampled for priority pollutants including dioxins and furans. Private wells in the communities surrounding Neal's Dump, Neal's Landfill, and the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant have not shown levels of PCB contamination greater than 1 part per billion (ppb). The on-site groundwater PCB contamination indicates that there is a potential for these wells to become contaminated.

Community health concerns were derived from several sources, including meetings with local residents, and county and city officials. Their concerns are listed below.

• Will the health study point out correlations such as cancer and miscarriages due to PCBs?

• Are their physicians aware of the literature regarding the toxicity of exposure to PCBs?

• What about former and current workers at the Westinghouse/ABB plant. Many of the former workers have stated that they feel their health is deteriorating. Current workers are concerned that they are still being exposed to PCBs (from residual contamination) while working in the plant.

• How will the study show a true picture of the health effects when it is limited to only the Consent Decree sites? What about ABB (formerly Westinghouse) and Fell Iron & Metal Inc., which are in heavily populated areas?

Based on the evaluation of the environmental data, exposure pathways, health outcome data, health studies, and estimated exposure doses, the ISDH recommends the following:

1. monitor all sites for the presence in and transport into private wells of TCE, dioxins and furans, PCBs and any other site-related contaminants of concern;

2. take remedial actions to ensure that people are not exposed to significant concentrations of cadmium, tetrachloroethene, trichloroethylene, naphthalene/2-methyl naphthalene, and PCBs potentially found in the springs and streams associated with the Lemon Lane Landfill;

3. continue to monitor fish from Clear Creek, Richland Creek, and Conard's Branch for PCB contamination;

4. reevaluate the surface water treatment collection system at Neal's Landfill by regulating the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Level to a level that is protective of human and environmental health to ensure that the sediments in Richland Creek and Conard's Branch are not re-contaminated;

5. continue communications with the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Monroe County Health Department, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to ensure that human health is not at risk from the proposed interchange for State Routes 37 and 46 near Bennett Stone Quarry;

6. wash and peel all root crop vegetables grown in sewage sludge-treated gardens before cooking or consumption; studies show that PCB uptake in plants is limited, and contamination primarily occurs through adhesion to the soil on the exterior of vegetables (Sommers LE. July 7, 1976);

7. develop education programs for nurses and primary care physicians to address community concerns that local health professionals may not be familiar with the signs and symptoms of health effects caused by exposures to PCB-contaminated media;

8. state and federal environmental agencies sample surface soil at the approximately 180 other PCB-contaminated sites to establish priorities for cleanup; and

9. conduct studies as listed below in follow-up to the previous studies conducted on the Bloomington population and to address community concerns:

   • a study to determine congener-specific serum PCBs of people who have previously had their blood tested for PCBs;

   • a study of contaminant levels within the ABB Corporation (formerly Westinghouse Corporation) plant and their effects on the health of workers; and

   • reevaluate the health of former Westinghouse workers exposed to PCBs.

INTRODUCTION

This report contains an evaluation of data and information on the release of hazardous substances into the environment and the past, present, and future pathways by which the surrounding community may be exposed. This information will be grouped into Background, Environmental Contamination and Other Hazards, and Pathways Analyses sections for each individual site. A description of these sections is given below.

BACKGROUND

The background section of this report contains information on the history and description of a site which includes but is not limited to:

• types of activities carried out at the site
  
• duration of commercial and industrial activities
  
• the length of time contamination has been present at the site
  
• changes in size or development of the site
  
• current and planned remedial activities

This section also contains a "Site Visit" report which is an essential element of the report process. The site visit allows a firsthand observation of the current conditions at the site.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Electrical capacitors have been manufactured in Bloomington (Monroe County) since 1958 by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (the plant was sold by Westinghouse to ABB in 1990). PCBs, predominantly Aroclor 1242 and Aroclor 1016 (42 percent and 41 percent chlorine by weight respectively), were used as dielectric insulating fluids in these capacitors from 1958 through 1977 when the manufacture and commercial distribution of PCBs was banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Capacitors not meeting quality control specifications were disposed in four landfills in Monroe County (Anderson Road Landfill, Bennett' Dump, Lemon Lane Landfill, and Neal's Landfill) and at one site in Owen County (Neal's Dump) by local waste haulers. Since draining the dielectric fluid from these capacitors was very labor intensive, they were discarded without being drained.

In 1976, PCBs were found in the influent and effluent of the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant in Bloomington, and in sterilized sewage sludge obtained from the plant by citizens who used it for fertilizer in their gardens. EPA later found that Westinghouse had been discharging waste PCBs and/or PCBs which were spilled during manufacturing processes, into the sanitary sewer system.

A Consent Decree was signed on May 25, 1985, by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the City of Bloomington, and Monroe County. Westinghouse is required to remove an estimated 650,000 cubic yards of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated soils, sludge, solid waste, and stream sediments from six sites located in the Bloomington, Indiana area. (U.S. District Court. Consent Decree. 1985)

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency, has undertaken a multi-phase project to address concerns related to the impact on public health resulting from exposures to PCB-contaminated media at these six Consent Decree sites.

This project has three purposes: 1) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the public health impact of the six Consent Decree sites located in Monroe and Owen counties, 2) to determine the public health implications of incinerating the PCB-contaminated soil, and 3) to identify and evaluate the pertinent public health considerations of technically feasible cleanup alternatives.

The Consent Decree PCB-related sites (see Figure 1) are listed below, and are the only sites addressed at this time in this report. The ABB Corporation (formerly Westinghouse Corporation) and Fell Iron & Metal Inc. are not a part of this report, but may be addressed in the future.

Site	Status	Location
Anderson Road Landfill Bennett Stone Quarry Lemon Lane Landfill Neal's Dump Neal's Landfill Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant	EPA/State Enf. 8/85 NPL 9/84 NPL 9/83 NPL 6/86 NPL 9/83 EPA/State Enf. 8/85	Monroe County Monroe County Monroe County Owen County Monroe County Monroe County

Four of these sites (Bennett Stone Quarry, Lemon Lane Landfill, Neal's Landfill, and Neal's Dump) are listed on the EPA National Priorities List (NPL) of sites targeted for cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liabilities Act (CERCLA) as Superfund sites. Anderson Road Landfill and the Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant are not listed on the NPL as Superfund sites, but were made part of the comprehensive cleanup defined in the Consent Decree.

The first phase of the Consent Decree cleanup involves removal and remedial measures to contain the six sites until the extensive excavation of PCB-contaminated materials begins. Soil samples for cleanup levels were not performed. A thorough discussion of site-specific prior remediation can be found under the Site Description and History subsection for each site. An interim storage facility was constructed by Westinghouse in 1986 at the former Winston-Thomas Sewage Treatment Plant to store excavated PCB-contaminated materials until the high-temperature PCB incinerator is constructed. Groundwater investigations have also been initiated at five of the sites. The sixth site (Anderson Road Landfill) was remediated in 1987 by excavating and hauling all PCB-contaminated materials from this site to the interim storage facility.

The second phase of the Consent Decree cleanup involves the permitting, construction, and operation of a municipal solid waste fueled, high-temperature incinerator which will incinerate the PCB-contaminated materials excavated from all the Consent Decree sites.

Westinghouse submitted permit applications for the PCB incinerator on July 30, 1991. These applications included:

1. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) incinerator application;

2. Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Air Quality application; and

3. Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) application.

On August 22, 1991, Westinghouse submitted the RCRA landfill application for the incinerator ash landfill, and on September 30, 1992, the CEC application for the ash landfill was submitted to the Indiana Hazardous Waste Facility Site Approval Authority. The board membership of the Indiana Hazardous Waste Facility Approval Authority is appointed by the governor, and is not a part of the IDEM. The IDEM as a party to the Consent Decree, however, is presently prohibited from reviewing these permit applications pursuant to Senate Enrolled Act 649, which requires IDEM to conduct a study of "alternative PCB technologies" before considering permit applications related to the proposed PCB incinerator.

Legislation was also passed [House Enrolled Act 1298] prohibiting the Indiana Hazardous Waste Facility Site Approval Authority from issuing Certificates of Environmental Compatibility for the incinerator and ash landfill sites before IDEM completes this study. This study was to be concluded by July 1, 1993, but has been delayed. The study must now be concluded by July 1, 1995.

Westinghouse has the responsibility of regrading, capping, and revegetating all sites after removal measures are completed. Once all Consent Decree sites have been remediated, Westinghouse will continue groundwater monitoring and site maintenance through a post-closure period of up to 30 years.

Current Status

HEA 1429 also required incinerators using solid waste as fuel to be included in the local Solid Waste Management District Plan (which is approved by IDEM) before they can be constructed. The Monroe County Solid Waste Management District Board submitted their plan to IDEM on June 30, 1992. The plan does not include incineration but does state that the plan will be revised if the PCB incinerator is built. IDEM has approved the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District Solid Waste Plan.

The Coalition Opposed to PCB Ash in Monroe County, Inc. (COPA), a local anti-incinerator group, was awarded a $200,000 EPA Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) in June 1992. This grant will allow COPA to hire expert advisors to study and interpret the EPA's investigation of the four Westinghouse NPL sites. (IDEM. General Overview of Consent Decree Sites. July 1992.)

This report is written with the intent to further characterize and evaluate all past, present, and future human exposure pathways, available health outcome data (including all previously conducted health studies of human exposure to PCBs), and community health concerns associated with the six Consent Decree sites. This report will be incorporated into the final ATSDR Public Health Assessment of these six sites.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND OTHER HAZARDS

The tables in this section list the contaminants of concern. All data for the Consent Decree PCB sites may not be listed in this report. This report has been written from information provided to the ISDH by various individuals and agencies. Environmental data have been collected for many years. There is no one single source for the results of all the environmental sampling that has been performed by all the concerned parties. Some data were provided without summary sheets and laboratory quality assurance or controls. Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) is provided only wherein it was available. The ISDH relies on the information provided in the referenced documents and assumes that adequate QA/QC measures were followed with regard to chain of custody, laboratory procedures, and data reporting. This type of data was evaluated and then incorporated using professional judgment. It is possible that pertinent data have been inadvertently left out of this document or does not exist. As pertinent information becomes available, it will be incorporated in the this report, and the conclusions and recommendations will be adjusted whenever warranted. All chemical concentrations have been rounded when appropriate.

Normally, surface soil samples are considered to be taken from the surface to a maximum depth of 3 inches. Any samples taken below 3 inches are usually considered to be a subsurface soil sample. When the depth of the soil sample is unknown, the sample is considered to be a subsurface soil sample. When PCBs are spilled onto the ground, the soil will absorb the PCBs until it is saturated, with any residual PCB continuing to migrate further into the soil. Soil samples identifying PCB contamination at subsurface levels would also have corresponding surface soil contamination at equal or greater concentrations. Therefore, for those samples where sample depths are unknown, or where the sample depth may be deeper than what is normally considered for surface soil samples, these types of samples will be categorized as surface samples. This will also allow these samples to be used as worst-case scenarios to evaluate the potential for adverse health outcomes resulting from human exposure.

The contaminants of concern in the subsequent sections of this report are evaluated, and then, it is determined whether exposure to them has public health significance. The ISDH selects and discusses a chemical as a contaminant of concern based upon the following factors:

1. the chemical has no comparison value and/or may be toxic to humans at specified levels;

2. the comparison of on-site and off-site concentrations with public health assessment comparison values for (1) noncarcinogenic endpoints and (2) carcinogenic endpoints; and

3. an evaluation of the field data quality, laboratory data quality, and sample design;

4. community health concerns related to a particular chemical.

In the data tables that follow under the On-site Contamination and Off-site Contamination subsections, the listed chemical does not mean that it will cause adverse health effects from exposures. Instead, the list indicates which chemicals will be evaluated further in the report.

Comparison values for this report are contaminant concentrations in specific media that are used to select contaminants for further evaluation.

The comparison value for PCBs in groundwater is 0.05 ppb. In many instances, the level of detection determined and used by the laboratory is 0.1 ppb. A laboratory test for PCBs in the water supply could show non-detect and still be above the comparison value. We therefore consider groundwater to be a potential route of exposure where private wells are being used as a source of potable water.

The data tables include the following acronyms:

CREG=	Cancer risk Evaluation Guide. CREGs are estimated contaminant concentrations based on a one excess cancer in a million persons exposed over a lifetime. They are calculated from EPA's cancer slope factors.
EMEG =	Environmental media Evaluation Guide. EMEGs are media-specific comparison values that are used to select chemicals of concern at hazardous waste sites. They are derived by ATSDR from the minimal risk level.
FDA =	Food and Drug Administration
LTHA =	Lifetime Health Advisory (for drinking water). The LTHA is derived by EPA from the Drinking Water Equivalent Levels (DWEL) for noncarcinogens. For noncarcinogenic organic and inorganic compounds, LTHAs are 20% and 10% respectively of the DWEL. For possible carcinogens, the LTHA is divided by an additional factor of 10.
MCL =	Maximum contaminant Level (for drinking water). MCLs represent contaminant concentrations that EPA deems protective of public health (considering the availability and economics of water treatment technology) over a lifetime (70 years) at an exposure rate of 2 liters of water per day. While MCLs are regulatory concentrations, Proposed Maximum contaminant Level Goals and Maximum contaminant Level Goals are not.
MRL=	The MRL is an estimate of daily human exposure to a chemical below which noncancer, adverse health effects are unlikely to occur. In lieu of sufficient human data, MRLs are typically based on the results of animal studies in which the most sensitive adverse effect level (LOAEL) or the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) has been identified. To derive the MRL, the LOAEL or the NOAEL is divided by levels of uncertainty ranging from 10 to several thousand to account for species differences and human variability in response. (MRL is referenced in the Public Health Implications section.)
NAS =	National Academy of Sciences. It has been suggested by the NAS, that where water supplies contain more than 20,000 ppb of sodium, dietary restriction to less than 1 g of sodium is difficult to achieve and maintain.
ppm =	Parts per million
ppb =	Parts per billion
ppt =	Parts per trillion
RMEG =	Reference dose media Evaluation Guide. RMEGs are media-specific comparison values that are used to select chemicals of concern at hazardous waste sites. They are derived by ATSDR from the reference dose level.

Toxic Chemical Release Inventory

The Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI) is an EPA database that contains information on chemical releases from industries in the United States. It is used to determine the potential sources of contamination near NPL sites. The TRI includes only chemical releases that have been reported since the database was initiated in 1987. The utility of this database is limited in this report as the sites in question have undergone remediation prior to 1987. A computer search was conducted by county of all available toxic release inventory (TRI 87-90) data to determine the number of industries in Monroe and Owen Counties that potentially emit chemicals into the environment which are in common with the Bloomington PCB sites.

The TRI listed six facilities in Monroe County which emit the following chemicals into the air: xylene, toluene, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, dichloromethane, n-butyl alcohol, and nitric acid. There were no water or land emissions reported for these chemicals. Emissions listed in the TRI are quite possibly within a facility's allowable emission rate limits.

No TRI data were found for Owen County.

PATHWAYS ANALYSES

To determine whether nearby residents are exposed to contaminants migrating from the site, and if former non-remediation workers were exposed to contaminants on the site, the ISDH evaluates the environmental and human components that lead to human exposure. These pathways analyses consist of five elements: a source of contamination, transport through an environmental medium, a point of exposure, a route of human exposure, and an exposed population.

The ISDH categorizes an exposure pathway as a completed or potential exposure pathway if the exposure pathway cannot be eliminated. Completed pathways require that the five elements exist and indicate that exposure to a contaminant has occurred in the past, is currently occurring, or will occur in the future. Potential pathways, however, require that at least one of the five elements is missing, but could exist. Potential pathways indicate that exposure to a contaminant could have occurred in the past, could be occurring now, or could occur in the future. An exposure pathway can be eliminated if at least one of the five elements is missing and will never be present.

Separate tables identify the completed and potential exposure pathways for each site. The discussion that precedes these tables incorporates only those pathways that are important and relevant to the site. Scavenging and trespassing are treated as having past completed exposure pathways to contaminants due to past visible evidence of these activities, as well as reports from local officials regarding these activities. It is impossible to estimate the actual number of individuals who may have trespassed on these sites, particularly where the capacitors were deposited. Information was also provided by approximately 50 individuals on the location and number of times that scavenging for metal from discarded capacitors took place. Most scavengers performed activities at most, if not all, of the six Consent Decree sites resulting in multiple exposures. Other documented activities included swimming in the quarries located around the Bennett Stone Quarry, and children playing on the sites (Stehr et al. 1986). Some of the exposure pathways that have been eliminated are also discussed.

Next Section          Table of Contents

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1825 Century Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30345
Contact CDC: 800-232-4636 / TTY: 888-232-6348 

Department of Health and Human Services