HEALTH CONSULTATION
FORMER DILLER BATTERY SITE
DES MOINES, POLK COUNTY, IOWA
The Iowa Department of Public Health, Toxic Substances Evaluation Program (TSEP), has prepared this health consultation in response to a telephone call from a reporter with the Des Moines Register newspaper and two articles in that paper.1 Concerns were raised regarding high lead levels in soil on the Former Diller Battery Site (FDB) in Des Moines, Iowa. At that time, the Kiwanis Club had been working with the City of Des Moines Community Development Department to establish an environmental training center at the site aimed largely at children (Diagram 1). High lead levels in soil on the site have placed this project on hold.
Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the current property owners are
in the process of negotiating future site land use and corresponding cleanup actions. Such actions
would be related to redevelopment plans for the area through EPA's Brownfields Economic
Redevelopment Initiative. The purpose of this document is to review site environmental data and
to determine if site-related exposures may be occurring at levels of health concern.
The FDB site is located at 701 Corning Avenue in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. The 1.5 acre (65,340 square feet) site is bordered on the west by Riverview Park Lake, on the south by Corning Avenue, on the east by an alley, and on the north by three residential properties (Figure 1). Properties to the east and south of the site are commercial. The nearest residential property adjoins the site to the north, with the residence itself located approximately 60 feet from the site.
The site is adjacent to Riverview Park Lake. Rain water can flow overland toward the lake especially from the southwest corner of the site. All drinking water in the area is supplied by the City of Des Moines. The municipal wells are upgradient and located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of the site.
Based on 1990 census data, approximately 3,185 people live within a half-mile and 959 within a quarter-mile of the site. This urban population is primarily Caucasian (Diagram 2). Children are a sensitive sub-population when evaluating health risks to lead. There are 394 children age 6 years and younger within a half-mile radius and 113 within a quarter-mile radius of the site.
The site was operated as a lead battery factory by Diller Battery from 1946 to 1952. In 1953, the facility was operated jointly by Diller Battery and Span-O-Life Battery, and by Span-O-Life Battery only in 1954. From 1955 to 1964 the Hunter Manufacturing Company manufactured beds at the site. The site has been vacant since 1965. The only structure currently on the site is a 8 by 14 foot metal storage building. A concrete pad covering approximately 19,000 square feet (29 % of the site) is located in the southeast portion of the property. The condition of the pad varies. The shed and concrete pad locations are shown on Figure 2. The site is owned by four different property owners: the City of Des Moines, Polk County, Union Pacific Railroad and Barbara Redshaw of Des Moines. The Site Ownership Map identifies the current property owners and how the property is divided (Figure 3).
On June 21, 1995, a city zoning inspector observed lead imbedded in the concrete pad on the site and reported the findings to the City of Des Moines Environmental Health Department. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) was then contacted and a site investigation was subsequently conducted. That investigation included a site reconnaissance and the collection of surface soil samples. The samples were analyzed for total lead by the IDNR laboratory. Analytical test results for the composite samples indicated lead in the soil in concentrations ranging from 520 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to 4,500 mg/kg.2 A commonly used removal action level in residential soils by EPA Region VII on similar sites is 500 mg/kg. EPA was then contacted by IDNR and a Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) was asked to conduct an Integrated Site Assessment (ISA) investigation.
An ISA investigation was performed at the FDB site on June 26 and 27, 1996, by START. A 25 foot grid was established over the entire area and a Metorex X-Met 880 X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) was used to screen the surface soil to determine the extent of lead contamination. Sample locations are shown on Figure 4. Surface soil samples (0 to 2 inches in depth) were collected from locations identified by the XRF as having elevated lead concentrations and submitted to the EPA Region VII Laboratory for total metals analysis. Additional soil was collected for semi-volatile and volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis from the same locations. A background surface soil sample was collected for laboratory analysis from Riverview Park, approximately 1/4 mile west of the site. According to Ecology and Environment, Inc., (a private environmental contractor), no sediment or water samples were collected because no drainage pathways were observed.3
The GeoprobeTM was used to collect soil samples from below the paved area of the site (location J-5 on Figure 4) and from a location where the highest level of lead (6,788 mg/kg) was indicated by the XRF (location K-9 on Figure 4). These soil samples were then screened with the XRF to assess lead contamination at various depths. XRF results indicated that only samples from location K-9 had elevated lead concentrations present at a depth of 12 inches below ground level (1,567 mg/kg).
Elevated concentrations of metals, including arsenic and lead (lead up to 8,660 mg/kg), were detected in surface soil on the site. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at levels that exceeded comparison values and health-based benchmarks were also found in surface soil. No VOCs were detected in soil samples. Contaminants of concern and their concentrations in on-site surface soil are given in Table 1. Although PAHs were detected on-site, they may not be related to FDB operations.
The START gridded and screened an open lot northeast of the site because of a resident's observation that soil from the northeast part of the site was removed a couple of years earlier and was used as backfill in that lot (Figure 5). On June 27, 1996, limited XRF screening was conducted on residential property to the north and on commercial property south of the site. Access for sampling was not granted from the business to the east of the site, and from one residence to the north. Contaminants of concern in off-site surface soil are given in Table 2.
Table 1 Contaminants of Concern in On-Site Surface Soil
|
Compound |
Concentration Range |
Background |
Comparison Values |
| Lead | 73.8-8,660 | 13.5 | NE |
| Arsenic | 1.51-18.8 | 0.95 | 0.4 CREG |
| Benzo(a)anthracene | 0.88-30.0 | BDL | NE |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | 4.1-30.0 | BDL | 0.1 CREG |
| Indeno(1,2,3d)pyrene | 2.5-19.0 | BDL | NE |
| Benzo(b)fluoranthene | 4.8-56.0 | BDL | NE |
KEY:
| NE | = No established value |
| CREG | = Cancer Risk Evaluation Guide |
| BDL | = Below detection limit |
Table 2 Contaminants of Concern in Off-Site Surface Soil
|
Compound |
Concentration Range (mg/kg) |
Background Concentration (mg/kg) |
Comparison Values (mg/kg) |
| Lead | 0-630 | 13.5 | NE |
| Arsenic | 1.51-2.82 | 0.95 | 0.4 CREG |
| Benzo(a)anthracene | 3.0-5.5 | BDL | NE |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | 4.1 | BDL | 0.1 CREG |
| Indeno(1,2,3d)pyrene | 2.5 | BDL | NE |
| Benzo(b)fluoranthene | 4.8 | BDL | NE |
KEY:
| NE | = No established value |
| CREG | = Cancer Risk Evaluation Guide |
| BDL | = Below detection limit |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and TSEP staff visited the site on different occasions from November 1996 to August 1997. The site was not fenced and was accessible to the public. During one of the site visits the wind was strong and fugitive dust was visible. At that same visit, a pickup truck drove over the site, again creating visible fugitive dust to agency staff. Two students from nearby North High School were observed cutting across the site to the residential neighborhood.
A deteriorated concrete pad covered the southeast portion of the site and the remaining area was partly vegetated or open. Although chunks of lead could be seen on the pad's concrete surface, no lead was apparent on the surface soil. The only structure on the site, a small metal storage building, was locked. A pile of different diameter pipes was observed next to the building. Employees of the businesses to the south and east of the site park their vehicles on the site. Tire tracks could be seen over the entire area. Two semi-truck trailers were located on the concrete pad. It appeared they were being used as a temporary shelter by a homeless man. An old chair, many sheets of cardboard, and some household items were seen at the trailers. Several metal drums were observed there as well. A partially burnt tree was also seen on the site close to the lake's bank.
The two semi-truck trailers have since been relocated from the site to a land area on the west side of Riverview Park Lake. More recently, vegetated areas of the site have been mowed and the drums and the pile of pipes have been removed. A shallow and a deep storm sewer drain are located north of the concrete pad between the site and the closest residence. Neither of the storm sewer drains were covered. The City of Des Moines' Public Works Department was contacted by TSEP staff and the opening to the deep drain was covered for safety reasons to prevent physical injury. The deep drain discharges into the city sewer system. The shallow drain has been plugged and covered with soil.
A 55 year old homeless man has been living on the site for the past three years and he is still living there. On August 26, 1997, he volunteered to have his blood tested for lead at Broadlawns Hospital in Des Moines. The test result detected a blood lead level of 16 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL).
Three residents, living north and northeast of the site, said that children usually visit the site after school (North High School is located three blocks southeast of the site) on their way home and during periods of warm weather. In addition, some people used the site to walk their dogs. All this information was confirmed by a homeless person who lives on the site. Residents were not aware of site contamination. It is not known if workers who park their cars on the site are aware of the contaminated soil.
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