PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
U.S. DEFENSE GENERAL SUPPLY CENTER
RICHMOND, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Defense General Supply Center (DGSC), south of Richmond, Virginia in Chesterfield County, is a military supply distribution center. The facility currently manages and furnishes military general supplies to the Armed Forces and several federal civilian agencies. Past chemical handling, storage, and disposal practices have contaminated groundwater, soils, surface waters, and sediments in the area (DGSC 1993a). Contaminants, primarily volatile organic chemicals, in groundwater and surface water have migrated to adjoining communities.
A well survey was conducted in March 1987 by the Chesterfield County Health District, part of the Virginia Health Department. Some private wells were sampled at the time of the survey in the Rayon Park area, adjacent to the National Guard Area on DGSC, and the water contained contaminants at levels above regulatory limits. Because of those levels, 21 private wells in the community of Rayon Park were replaced with an alternate water supply in 1987. Because of infrequent exposure to low levels of VOCs in those wells, adverse health effects are not likely. The actual duration of those past exposures is unknown.
In June of 1992 private well sampling was conducted in the Kingsland Creek and Rayon Park area and showed no current contamination, with one exception. Lead was detected above appropriate drinking water standards in one well. The source of lead contamination has been attributed to well piping since sampling results from five other wells did not detect lead. That homeowner was referred to a health professional at the Virginia Department of Health (DGSC 1993ba, DGSC 1993b).
To document the number of wells near DGSC, a well survey was performed in October 1992 at residences within a quarter mile, off-site of DGSC. Of the 108 responses, 16 residences use groundwater as their potable water source (DGSC 1993a, DGSC 1993b , DGSC 1992c). If future studies determine that groundwater plumes may be suspected to be heading in the direction of private wells, those wells should be periodically sampled.
Citizens have expressed concerns about contamination to installation officials and representatives of state and local health departments. They are also concerned about possible adverse health effects associated with past use of contaminated groundwater and on-going monitoring efforts being conducted by DGSC. Those concerns are evaluated in the Public Health Implications section of this public health assessment.
Available health outcome data indicate there are elevated cancer mortality rates for men in Chesterfield County compared with state rates. Those elevated rates were recorded for cancers associated with the oral cavity and respiratory tract for the years 1950 through 1979. Elevated cancer mortality rates were not found in women in Chesterfield County. ATSDR cannot determine if the elevated cancer mortality rates in men are related to exposure to DGSC contaminants because site-specific health outcome data are not available for communities near DGSC. Data are also not available on smoking and occupational status for communities near DGSC, and those factors are known to contribute to the development of the types of cancers observed in Chesterfield County men. The medical and scientific literature have not linked exposure to contaminants (VOCs) that were detected in the water of off-site private wells with development of cancers associated with the oral cavity and respiratory tract. However, the cancers that were elevated in men are associated with smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco and snuff (Surgeon General Report 1982 , Hoffmann et al 1983, Amdur et al 1991).
Additional field work is ongoing for areas on and off the installation. That data will provide information on groundwater, soils, sediment, and surface water (DGSC 1992c, DGSC 1993a). Samples have been analyzed and the results are currently being evaluated by the installation. That information will be available to the public in the next few months. Also, an interim proposed plan for groundwater remediation east of the National Guard Area is being prepared. The purpose of the proposed plan is to prevent further migration of DGSC contaminants and will be available to the public. ATSDR has reviewed and incorporated that data into this assessment.
DGSC is classified in the category of no apparent public health hazard. Although there are no known current exposure pathways for DGSC, recommendations have been made in this public health assessment to prevent or eliminate the possibility of future completed exposure pathways.
ATSDR's Health Activities Recommendations Panel (HARP) determined
that citizens living in communities near DGSC need information
about their potential for exposure, the extent of contamination
at DGSC, sampling results for DGSC, and additional environmental
sampling and remediation that is planned at DGSC. DGSC continues
to address those issues through public meetings, environmental
fact sheets, and communication of private well sampling results
to homeowners whose wells have been sampled. Currently, there
are no indications that adverse health conditions are occurring
or have occurred from past exposures to DGSC contaminants.
However, if in the future, groundwater contaminants are detected
at concentrations
of public health concern in off-site private
wells, community health education concerning exposure is
indicated.
A. Site Description and History
Defense General Supply Center (DGSC), an operation of the Defense Logistics Agency, is south of Richmond, Virginia in Chesterfield County (Figure 1). The 640-acre, fenced installation was built in 1941 and 1942. The original site consisted of the Richmond General Depot and the Richmond Holding and Reconsignment Point. In May 1943, the installation was re-named the Richmond Armed Service Forces Depot and was used jointly by the Quartermaster, Engineer, Medical, and Ordnance Corps. Activities at the installation increased during World War II, when 5,500 civilians and 457 military personnel worked at the site. A parcel of land outside the western perimeter of the installation was leased from a private citizen and used as a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. In 1962, the installation became the Defense General Supply Center. The facility currently manages and furnishes military general supplies to the Armed Forces and several federal civilian agencies.
Past operations that contributed to contamination of environmental media included industrial operations, such as refrigerator repair, equipment overhauling, and engine rebuilding; flammable, toxic, and corrosive chemical storage and shipping; pesticides storage, mixing, and shipping; sanitary and industrial waste disposal and treatment; and fire-training exercises. Groundwater contaminants, primarily volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), have migrated from the facility to private wells in the adjacent community of Rayon Park. Contaminants have also migrated from the site through surface water and sediments. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepared a health consultation on May 9, 1986, addressing private well contamination near DGSC. At that time, the VOCs in the private wells were not at concentrations believed to be associated with adverse health effects.
In 1981, a team of investigators from Chemical Systems Laboratory, Installation Restoration Branch, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, conducted an inspection of potential sites for remediation to be listed on the DGSC Installation Restoration Program (IRP); 25 sites were evaluated (Figure 2). The team recommended that the central Open Storage Areas (sites 4, 5, and 8), Area 50 (site 9), and the Fire-Training/Waste Disposal Pit (sites 16 and 17) be further assessed because of the environmental contamination at the sites. The team also recommended cleaning up the DDT spill in Building 202 (site 2)
Figure 1. Location of the Defense General Supply Center
Figure 2. Locations of Known or Suspected Waste Materials on DGSC
and improvement of storage and handling practices for pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing products.
In 1984, DGSC was proposed for inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL). Originally, three areas were designated for study: the Fire Training Area, the Open Storage Area/Area 50/National Guard Area, and the Acid Neutralization Pits (Figure 3). In 1991, the areas were designated as eight operable units: three contaminated groundwater and five contaminant source areas. The source areas are the Open Storage Source Area (sites 4, 5, and 8; Figure 2), Area 50 Source Area (site 9; Figure 2), National Guard Source Area (labeled as National Guard Area, Figure 3), Fire Training Source Area (sites 16 and 17; Figure 2), and the Acid Neutralization Pits Source Area (site 7; Figure 2). The groundwater units include the Area 50/National Guard Area/Open Storage Area Groundwater, the Fire Training Area Groundwater, and the Acid Neutralization Pits Groundwater. The source area remedial investigations are complete, and groundwater studies are now under way. In 1992, it was decided to proceed with an interim remedial action for treatment of the groundwater from the Open Storage Area/Area 50/National Guard Area. This area has been designated as operative unit 9 (DGSC 1993a). That interim proposed plan will be available for public review in late April 1993 (DGSC 1993b).
Focused feasibility studies currently are under way for the source operable units. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Acid Neutralization Pit Source Area is signed. The selected remedy is to treat soils in place using a vacuum extraction procedure. The procedure includes safeguards to protect the public health. The ROD for the Open Storage Area was signed on May 15, 1992 (Law Environmental, Inc. 1992a ).
Additional field work for areas on and off the installation is being completed by the contractor, Law Environmental, Inc. This work will complete RI/FS activities for the Acid Neutralization Pits, Area 50/Open Storage Area/National Guard Area, and the Fire Training Area. Expanded Site Investigations are planned at other sites (Buildings 68, 112, 202, and the Fuel Oil Storage Area) to determine the need for RI/FS activities. That data will provide recent information on groundwater, soils, sediment, and surface water on and off the installation (Law Environmental, Inc. 1992b, DGSC 1992c, and DGSC 1993a). That report will be available to the public in mid May of 1993 (DGSC 1993b). ATSDR has reviewed and incorporated pertinent data into this assessment.
On December 2, 1988, ATSDR released a preliminary public health assessment of DGSC. The site was determined to be a potential public health concern because environmental studies were not complete. Data now available are evaluated in this public health assessment and reflect current public health concerns and environmental conditions at the installation. Groundwater
Figure 3. Source Areas Associated with Remedial Investigations and Expanded Site
Inspections
studies are complete at Area 50 and are continuing for other areas.
Brief background descriptions of all designated source areas (sites) are discussed in the following paragraphs. This information was gathered from the remedial investigations and from information obtained from DGSC, county, and state personnel during the site visit (DGSC 1991a and DGSC 1992b).
Also located on the site is a former drum storage area used from the 1950s to the early 1970s and a fuel storage tank that is currently in use. Number 4 fuel oil leaked from the fuel storage tank to the adjacent area in 1978. A landfill used in the 1980s is located south of the site. The landfill is now closed (Dames and Moore 1989c).
On March 26-27, 1991, ATSDR staff conducted a site visit at DGSC. ATSDR briefed the installation's Environmental Engineer, the Defense Logistics Agency representative, the Virginia Department of Waste Management representative, and local and state representatives of the Virginia Department of Health on our goals and the purpose of our visit. The Environmental Engineer for the facility briefed ATSDR on the sites included in previous investigations and three additional areas that are now under investigation. He also directed a tour of those sites and areas. The observations are as follows:
The installation is completely fenced. Access to the installation is controlled by a guard at the gate. Administrative offices are located near the post entrance. The housing quarters for visiting officers are near the administrative buildings. The majority of the post contains warehouses and processing buildings. Site-specific observations (DGSC 1991a) are discussed in the following paragraphs.
The drums on the site are stored on bare ground with no cover. Drums are stored on their sides or in up-right positions. Although the temperature was in the 70s at the time of the site visit, some of the drums were heard popping. Most of the drums contain petroleum products; however, some drums were not clearly labeled such that the flash points of their contents are unknown. EPA is currently working with the installation to improve this situation (DGSC 1992b).
The burn pits are in the northern sectors of the site. Empty drums are stored on the eastern sectors. A monitoring well was observed in the southwest portion of the site. Standing water was noted adjacent to the south side of the well. Empty pallets were noted on the western portion of the site just to the east of the fenced, Number 4 fuel oil storage tank. Drainage is toward Kingsland Creek to the south.
Monitoring wells are located to the north of the large, northern-most pit and to the south of the smaller, southern-most pit. The pits have been backfilled with sandy clay and gravel. Drums of engine oil and cylinders of propane gas are stored on the northeast side of the site near North 4th Street. Empty drums were stored east of the small, southern pit.
C. Demographics, Land Use, and Natural Resources Use
Information for this section was compiled from Census Bureau data, the draft Community Relations Plan, the Remedial Investigations, and information provided by the state and local health departments and the installation during the site visit.
Demographics
DGSC is located in Chesterfield County, which is a rapidly growing suburban county south of Richmond. The installation is approximately 10 miles south of Richmond (Virginia Department of Waste Management 1991 ). Chesterfield County's 1990 population was 209,274 people, an increase of 46 percent from 1980. The 1990 population was 84.6 percent white, 13 percent black, and 2.4 percent other races. Approximately 16.6 percent of the 1990 population were under age 10, and only six percent were age 65 and older. This information is presented in Table 1 in Appendix A (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1991). Census information for 1990 indicates that the installation had 42 residents when the census was conducted. The installation has 31 family housing units and six visiting officers' quarters (DGSC 1992b). About 3,600 people are employed by the installation (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1991).
Neighborhoods north of the installation include an elementary school, residential areas, and small businesses. Neighborhoods east and southeast of the National Guard Area include a large government-subsidized apartment project and Rayon Park, the residential area with confirmed private well contamination (Figure 4). The 21 residences at which wells were tested are now connected to the municipal water supply. However, it is reported that some residents still use well water to irrigate their gardens (DGSC 1991a, DGSC 1992b). At least three residences in Rayon Park are still connected to private wells that were tested and showed no contamination in 1987 (DGSC 1992b). Those wells are not regularly monitored (DGSC 1992a). Neighborhoods south of the installation are separated from the facility by Kingsland Creek and steep inclines.
Census tract data for 1990 are presented in Table 1 in Appendix A. Block Group 1 consists of neighborhoods, including the subsidized housing project, north of the installation and east of the National Guard Area. Block Group 2 includes neighborhoods east of the installation and the Rayon Park subdivision northeast of the National Guard Area. Block Group 3 includes data for the installation and a neighborhood south of the facility (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1991).
Land Use
The communities around the installation consist primarily of residential areas and small businesses such as a small body shop and convenience stores. No major agricultural operations, other than a landscape/nursery operation, are within a one-mile radius of DGSC. However, some residences in the area, including the Rayon Park subdivision have small home gardens. DGSC is the only major industry in the vicinity (DGSC 1991a, DGSC 1992b).
An elementary school is located within 100 feet northeast of the installation fence line (DGSC 1993a). The school is connected to the municipal water supply. A government-subsidized housing project is 0.25 miles east of the installation and is also connected to a public water supply (DGSC 1991a).
A herd of seven to eight elk is maintained by the installation; hunting is not allowed. A stocked fishing pond (Parker Pond) on the installation is used by facility personnel and their families for fishing. The grounds around the fish pond are used for picnic and play activities (DGSC 1991a).
Natural Resources
The majority of the residents in the Rayon Park Area used groundwater for potable and household purposes until the 1980s, when the wells were found to be contaminated and replaced with municipal water. No private well depths were provided in information reviewed, but both the upper and deeper aquifers are reportedly tapped for potable purposes in the area near DGSC (DGSC 1991a).
Private wells are still in use at some residences primarily south of the installation in the Kingsland Creek area, and a few private wells are still in use northeast of DGSC in the Rayon Park area. In October 1992, a well survey was performed by installation contractors to determine the number and location of the wells on the street closest to the southern border of the
Figure 4. Rayon Park Wells Associated With Past Contamination
installation. Of the 108 survey responses, 16 residences use their private wells for drinking water and other purposes within a quarter mile off site of DGSC (DGSC 1993b).
Four surface water systems are associated with DGSC: Falling Creek, about one mile north of the installation, an No-Name Creek at the northeastern boundary of the National Guard Area, and Kingsland Creek, adjacent to the southern boundary of the installation (Figure 1). All of the creeks empty into the James River, which is about two miles east of the installation.
People in the surrounding communities have not been surveyed on their use of the surface water systems. Kingsland Creek is large enough to support edible fish species, but local health department officials were not sure people fish at Kingsland Creek. People do fish at the James River.
All of the creeks flow through or near neighborhoods where children live and play. Although there was no documentation that children play in the creeks, that is a reasonable possibility.
The relevant health outcome data for the installation area are provided below. The data are evaluated in the Public Health Implications section. Data listed as items "2" and "3" cannot be evaluated at this time because those data bases contain less than five years of data. At least five consecutive years of data are needed to determine if a significant disease is occurring.
ATSDR discussed community concerns with the Virginia Department of Health, Chesterfield County Health District. Those representatives stated that the primary community health concern is for water quality of private well water used for drinking and other household purposes. ATSDR also attended a technical review committee meeting at DGSC on April 9, 1992, and no other community concerns were identified from that discussion. No community health concerns were identified during the public comment period for this public health assessment. Other concerns that were identified in the Community Relations Plan are these:
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