ATSDR - PHA - U.S. Navy Port Hadlock Detachment, Indian Island, Kitsap County, Wahington

Skip directly to: content | left navigation | search

ATSDR > Public Health Assessments & Consultations

PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT

PORT HADLOCK DETACHMENT
NAVAL ORDNANCE CENTER,
PACIFIC DIVISION
INDIAN ISLAND, WASHINGTON

Based on an evaluation of environmental information, ATSDR has reached the following conclusions:

Contaminated shellfish located adjacent to Site 10 and along Boggy Spit
- may have posed a health hazard to people consuming large quantities of fish over extended periods in the past. Exposures to arsenic and BEHP may have posed a health hazard to subsistence and recreational fishers.
- does not pose a current health hazard; (In 1988, the Navy issued a shellfish ban for areas adjacent to Site 10 and along Boggy Spit. The ban, which is still in place, reduces public health hazards by preventing consumption of potentially contaminated shellfish. Although it is impossible to conclusively state that nobody is trespassing and violating the ban, the Navy's security has never reported any occurrences of trespassing, and signs are posted to inform people of the bans in these areas. Additional signs in several languages will be posted in the near future. If the ban were not in place, shellfish contaminants could pose a health hazard to subsistence and recreational fishers. ATSDR recommends, therefore, that people adhere to the ban.)
- will not pose a future health hazard. (Measures taken by the Navy will prevent future health hazards by
  — minimizing further contamination of the marine environment, and
  — ensuring that the beaches remain closed until the contaminant concentrations decrease to levels that do not pose a health hazard.)
Based on limited past sampling data, ATSDR concludes that shellfish consumed along the north-northwestern shores of Marrowstone Island may have posed a past health hazard. Based on data recently collected by ATSDR, current and future consumption of shellfish is not expected to pose health hazards, however. Although community members suspect that contaminants from Port Hadlock's Site 10 could affect Marrowstone Island's shores, the Final Site Work Plan, Site 10 North End Landfill document and the ROD do not identify Site 10 as a likely source.
Groundwater potentially impacted by Site 21
- cannot be evaluated for the past scenario; (Water supply wells Nos. 1 and 2 might have been used from 1941 to 1945, but this information has not been confirmed. In addition, data are not available to assess the quality of groundwater during this time.)
- does not pose a current health hazard; (Backup water supply wells Nos. 1 and 2 are the only production wells located in the area. These wells are not currently in use, thus they do not pose a current health hazard.)
- will not pose a future health hazard. (It is highly unlikely that future consumption of groundwater in the vicinity of Site 21 will pose a public health hazard. The Washington Department of Ecology, EPA, and the Navy are analyzing groundwater monitoring data collected from the area. If these agencies decide that contaminant concentrations pose a public health hazard, backup water supply wells Nos. 1 and 2 will be abandoned and deed restrictions will be implemented to prevent the installation of future wells.
Shellfish located along the eastern shores of Indian Island and between Indian and Marrowstone Islands are unlikely to have been impacted by Site 10 contaminants or Site 12 groundwater discharge. Additionally, reports claiming that fuel from moored ships leaked in this area have not been substantiated. (There are no environmental sampling records indicating that potential leaks from moored ships affected environmental media. In addition, the ships were removed from the harbor about 50 years ago.)
Groundwater from Marrowstone Island is unlikely to have been impacted by the migration of Port Hadlock contaminants across Kilisut Harbor because the island's groundwater is not hydrogeologically connected to any other water source.
The other 14 Port Hadlock sites do not pose a public health hazard because (1) no site-related contaminants are present; (2) contaminant concentrations detected are too low to pose a health hazard; (3) past and current exposures to the general public have been prevented by strict security measures; (4) past and current exposures to Naval and remedial workers are infrequent and conducted with personal protective equipment; and/or (5) affected areas have been, or will be, remediated.

RECOMMENDATIONS/PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION PLAN

The public health action plan (PHAP) for Port Hadlock contains a description of actions taken and those to be taken by ATSDR, the Navy, EPA, and the Washington Department of Ecology at and in the vicinity of the site subsequent to the completion of this public health assessment. The purpose of the PHAP is to ensure that this public health assessment not only identifies potential and ongoing public health hazards, but provides a plan of action designed to mitigate and prevent adverse human health effects resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. The public health actions at Port Hadlock that are completed, ongoing/planned, or recommended are as follows:

Completed Actions

Site 10

The Navy issued a shellfish harvesting ban in 1988 for the areas immediately adjacent to Site 10 (beach 19) and along Boggy Spit (beaches 1 and 2).
The Navy completed construction of a landfill cap and erosion protection measures in 1997.
Marrowstone Island
ATSDR collected shellfish samples along the north/northwestern shores of Marrowstone Island in April 1998.
Site 21
Additional monitoring wells were installed in 1995.
The Navy recently completed a 2-year groundwater monitoring program.
The Other Port Hadlock Sites
Areas with soil contamination have been excavated.
Underground storage tanks (USTs) have been removed from several locations.

Ongoing and Planned Actions

Site 10

Groundwater, sediment, and shellfish monitoring programs are currently being conducted.
Additional signs advising of the fishing ban will be posted in several languages in the near future.
Site 21
The Washington Department of Ecology, EPA, and the Navy are analyzing monitoring data. If these agencies decide that contaminant concentrations pose a potential public health hazard, backup water supply wells Nos. 1 and 2 will be abandoned and deed restrictions will be implemented to prevent the installation of future wells.

The Other Port Hadlock Sites

Investigations are ongoing at Sites 33 and 35 (see Appendix A). A removal action is planned for Site 33.

Recommended Actions

ATSDR recommends that people adhere to the shellfish harvesting ban to reduce potential exposures to shellfish contamination.
ATSDR plans to evaluate the Navy's shellfish monitoring reports when they become available.
CERCLA requires ATSDR to conduct needed follow-up health actions in communities near hazardous waste sites. To identify appropriate actions, ATSDR created the Health Activities Recommendation panel (HARP). HARP has evaluated the data and information contained in the Port Hadlock PHA for appropriate public health actions. ATSDR's Division of Health Education and Promotion will be scoping for potential future education activities.

PREPARERS OF REPORT

Amanda Stoddard, MPH
Environmental Health Scientist
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

Victoria Ann Smith
Environmental Health Scientist
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

Gary Campbell, PhD
Environmental Health Scientist
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

REFERENCES

ATSDR. 1989. Toxicological Profile for Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (April). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

ATSDR. 1992. Toxicological Profile for Pentachlorophenol (October). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

ATSDR. 1993. Toxicological Profile for Arsenic (April). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

ATSDR. 1998a. Health Guidelines Comparison Values. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

ATSDR. 1998b. Exposure Investigation; Marrowstone Island, Washington (August 5). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

EA. 1997. Draft Year Two Compliance Monitoring and Sampling Report, Site 21, Port Hadlock Naval Detachment, Washington. (September). EA Engineering, Science, and Technology.

Ecology. 1998. Communication with Bill Harris (21 January). Washington Department of Ecology.

EFA Northwest. 1995. Draft Community Relations Plan Update, Port Hadlock Detachment Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Indian Island, Washington (December). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1996a. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (25 September). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1996b. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (20 November). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1996c. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (13 November). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1996d. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (18 July). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1996e. Communication with Sandy Kienholz (14 August). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1997a. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (19 May). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1997b. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (6 March). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EFA Northwest. 1997c. Communication with Cindy O'Hare (10 September). EFA Northwest Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

EPA. 1989. Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund, Volume 1 Human Health Evaluation Manual (Part A).United States Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA. 1991. Memorandum: Human Health Evaluation Manual, Supplemental Guidance: Standard Default Exposure Factors (25 March). United States Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA. 1994. Support Document for Sole Source Aquifer Designation of the Marrowstone Aquifer System. EPA 910/R-94-002 (February). United States Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA. 1997. Region III Risk-Based Concentration Table (14 March). United States Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA. 1998. Communication with Bob Kievitt (21 January). United States Environmental Protection Agency.

FDA. 1993. Guidance Document for Arsenic in Shellfish (January). Food and Drug Administration.

Foster Wheeler. 1996a. Draft Marine Monitoring Plan: Site 10 North End Landfill Marine Monitoring Program. Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Detachment Port Hadlock, Hadlock, Washington (September). Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation.

Foster Wheeler. 1996b. Final Site Work Plan: Site 10 North End Landfill, Construction of Landfill Cap and Shoreline Protection System. Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Port Hadlock Detachment, Indian Island, Washington (June 11, 1996). Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation.

Foster Wheeler 1997. Preliminary Closeout Report: Naval Ordnance Center Pacific Division, Detachment Port Hadlock, Hadlock, Washington (September). Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation.

Foster Wheeler. 1998. Communication with Amadeo Rossi (21 January). Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation.

Navy. 1996. Restoration Plans for Fiscal Years 1996-2000 (February). Department of Navy's Environmental Program.

SCS Engineers. 1987. Current Situations Report: Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station Keyport and Indian Island, Washington (December).

Toy. 1996. A Fish Consumption Survey of the Tulalip and Squaxin Island Tribes of the Puget Sound Region. Toy, K. A., Polissar, N.L., Liao, S., and Mittelstaedt, G.D., Tulalip Tribes, Department of Environment (October).

URS. 1995a. Final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study: Sites 10 and 21, Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Detachment Port Hadlock, Indian Island, Washington (January).URS Consultants, Inc.

URS. 1995b. Final Record of Decision: Port Hadlock Detachment, Sites 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 20, , and 22, Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Port Hadlock Detachment, Indian Island, Washington (15 September).URS Consultants, Inc.

URS. 1996a. Draft Final Site Hazard Assessment Report: Area 34, Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Detachment Port Hadlock, Indian Island, Washington (June).URS Consultants, Inc.

URS. 1996b. Draft Compliance Monitoring and Sampling Report for Site 21 (July). URS Consultants, Inc.

URS. 1996c. Final Compliance Monitoring Report, Round 4, Area 11: Walan Point Burn Area, Site 12: Griffin Street Ordnance Area, Area 18: Net Depot Area (March 22). URS Consultants, Inc.

URS. 1997. Draft Compliance Monitoring Report, Rounds 5 and 6, Area 12: Griffin Street Ordnance Area (May).URS Consultants, Inc.

WDOH. 1991. Data Review and Preliminary Evaluation of Potential Human Health Effects from Consumption of Shellfish from Indian Island (January). Washington Department of Health, Office of Toxic Substances Environmental Health Programs.

WDOH. 1996. Communication with Ned Therien (3 November). Washington Department of Health, Office of Shellfish Programs.

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