HEALTH CONSULTATION
MASTER METALS INCORPORATED
DETROIT, WAYNE COUNTY, MICHIGAN
During the site assessment of the property in August 1996, a contractor for the EPA collected 9 samples of soil, debris, dust, and other materials from inside and around the buildings on the property. Some of these samples contained antimony, arsenic, and lead at concentrations above the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Generic Clean-up Criteria for Industrial, Commercial, or Residential Use (Table 1) (4, 5). One sample (from near a baghouse in the southeast corner of the property) contained copper above the MDEQ Generic Clean-up Criteria for Residential Use (5). The very high concentrations of lead (above 100,000 ppm) were found in and around a baghouse in the southeast part of the property. Concentrations of iron above 100,000 ppm were found in the former smelter building. The antimony and arsenic concentrations above the MDEQ Industrial/Commercial Criteria were found in the smelter building and in and around the baghouse. The contractor also collected two samples for asbestos analysis -- one of insulation from a machine in a trailer on the property and one from a debris pile near the trailer that appeared to be insulation. The sample from the machine in the trailer contained 50% asbestos (1).
Table 1. Concentrations of metals in soil and ash samples collected on the Master Metals property, August 1996.
In August 1997, the EPA and a contractor used an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique to measure the concentrations of lead and cadmium in the soil, concrete, and debris on the property in situ, verifying the measurements by comparison with the results of laboratory analysis of samples collected from some of the same locations. They collected results from 243 locations throughout the historic Master Metals property, on both sides of the "new fence". Summary statistics are listed in Table 2. All of the measurements found lead, while only 45 found cadmium (detection limit 180 ppm). Two hundred thirty-six (97 %) of the measurements found lead concentrations and 2 found cadmium concentrations in excess of the MDEQ Generic Clean-up Criteria for Industrial, Commercial, or Residential Use(1) (4, 5). An additional 38 measurements contained cadmium at concentrations above the MDEQ Clean-Up Criteria for Residential Use (5). While only 7 of the measurements, mostly taken in the south part of the property, found more than 100,000 ppm lead (10%), lead concentrations between 10,000 ppm and 100,000 ppm were found throughout the property, including the 4740 Nevada Street property. One cluster of measurements where the lead concentration exceeded 100,000 ppm was located in the southwest corner of the 4740 Nevada Street property. The maximum concentrations of cadmium and lead were found at the same location, and the lead concentration at the other location where the cadmium concentration exceeded the MDEQ Industrial/Commercial Criteria was 120,000 ppm. That location was in the southwest corner of the 4740 Nevada Street parcel. Lead concentrations above 100,000 ppm and cadmium concentrations above 1,000 ppm were only found where concrete was analyzed. One soil sample contained 97,000 ppm lead (2).
The area around the Master Metals buildings is mostly fenced, though access to that part of the property is possible through broken windows and a door in the office/warehouse building. The building is filled with debris and chemical containers left from the previous operation and is partially collapsed, posing physical hazards to anyone trespassing in it. There is evidence of trespass, such as graffiti, litter, and trash including tires and discarded appliances in the old smelter building. In addition, the 4740 Nevada Street parcel is freely accessible from a neighboring active trucking operation and workers from the trucking operation use the area for materials storage. The neighboring operation is fenced, reducing the likelihood of access by trespassers. As mentioned above, the EPA XRF investigation of the property in August 1997 found lead concentrations in the soil above 10,000 ppm, (mean 28,364 ppm, median 24,000 ppm) throughout the 4740 Nevada Street parcel with concentrations above 100,000 ppm in the southwest corner of the parcel (2).
Lead is a cumulative poison, causing damage to the nervous system, kidneys, and blood. Anyone spending a major portion of his or her day on the property is likely to incidentally ingest enough lead from the soil on the property to exceed the amounts that were observed to cause minor adverse health effects in experimental studies on human volunteer subjects. There is no evidence directly linking exposure to lead to cancer in humans, though some laboratory animals who ingested lead in their food or water developed cancer of the kidneys. The EPA as classified lead as a probable human carcinogen (EPA Class B2). It is not possible to evaluate the cancer risk from exposure to lead based on the available information (6).
Table 2. Statistics on lead and cadmium concentrations in surface soil on the Master Metals property, from X-ray fluorescence measurements, August 1997.
Anyone spending a major portion of his or her day on the property might incidentally ingest enough cadmium from the soil to exceed the ATSDR Minimum Risk Level (MRL) or EPA Reference Dose (RfD). However, no adult is likely to incidentally ingest as much cadmium from the soil as has been observed to cause adverse health effects. Studies of humans exposed to cadmium by either inhalation or ingestion have not found a relationship to cancer. Some laboratory animals who inhaled cadmium dust developed lung cancer, and some laboratory animals whose food contained cadmium chloride developed prostate cancer. The EPA has classified cadmium by inhalation as a probable human carcinogen (EPA Class B1). It is not possible to evaluate the risk of developing cancer from exposure to cadmium based on the available information (9).
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