PRELIMINARY PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
MONARCH TILE, INC., FLORENCE DIVISION
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA
The Monarch Tile, Inc. site is located at the intersection of Helton Drive and Rickwood Road, Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama. The site was owned by Stylon Corporation from 1954 until 1973. Monarch Tile, Inc. has operated the facility since 1973. Monarch Tile, Inc. and the former Stylon operation produced glazed ceramic tiles. Former operations included the use of glaze materials containing compounds of zinc, lead, and barium. The discharging of wastewater into ditches adjacent to the site prior to 1960 has left sediments in the northern drainage ditches contaminated with heavy metals. Settlement ponds in use from 1960 to 1976 resulted in heavy metal contamination of the southern drainage areas. Since 1979 Monarch Tile, Inc. has not used hazardous materials in their production process.
The residents of the surrounding community expressed a number of health concerns including respiratory, neurologic, and arthritic problems. Residents also stated that the cancer rate was unusually high for their community.
There are no completed pathways as yet identified by the available environmental data. Although heavy metals have been discovered in the ditches leading away from the site, an exposed population could not be identified.
We classified the site as an indeterminate public health hazard. The available data do not indicate that humans are being or have been exposed to levels of contamination that would be expected to cause adverse health effects. We also could not find health outcome data to indicate adverse health effects due to Stylon's or Monarch's past or present operations. However, because of the limited amount of data available from the site, and particularly the absence of surface soil data, the site should be classified as an indeterminate public health hazard.
Additional sampling of the off-site sediments and soil should be conducted to describe the extent of contamination at the site.
The ATSDR Health Activities Recommendations Panel has determined that no follow-up health
actions are indicated at this time.
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) in cooperation with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will evaluate the public health significance of this site. More specifically, ADPH will determine whether health effects are possible and will recommend actions to reduce or prevent possible health effects. ATSDR, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is authorized by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to conduct public health assessments at hazardous waste sites.
A. Site Description and History
Monarch Tile, Inc. (the site) is a 26.8 acre site located at the intersection of Rickwood Road and Helton Drive in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama (Figures 1 & 2). The site was first operated by Stylon Corporation from 1954 to 1973. In 1973, Stylon went bankrupt and the site was leased to Monarch Tile, Inc. Monarch Tile, Inc. is an active manufacturer of ceramic tiles. The site is divided into Plants 1 and 2 (Figure 3).
Plant 1 is located north of Rickwood Road on approximately 9.3 acres of land. The plant is fenced and bounded to the north by a YMCA, the south by Plant 2, the east by a residential district across Helton Drive, and west by Alabama Gas Company. Prior to 1960, Plant No. 1 emptied effluent to a sump located on the north of the property and discharged into a nearby drainage ditch. After 1960, this drainage was routed to settling ponds near Plant No. 2 at the southern end of the site (Figure 3).
Plant 2 is located south of Rickwood Road on approximately 17.5 acres of land. The area is bounded on the north by Plant 1, the south by James Joiner Bus Lines and Nichols Wire, the east by a residential district opposite Helton Drive, and the west by an open field. Plant 2 receives raw materials by railroad for the manufacture of ceramic tile. The area contains a lime flocculation unit and separator, built in the early 1960's to remove solids from the waste effluent. The solids are removed to the city landfill. In 1980 Monarch Tile, Inc. constructed a 150 foot trench to receive some of the waste sludge. This practice continued until 1988 when all waste sludge was taken to the city landfill.
Plant 2 also contains a number of settling ponds with natural clay linings. Earlier, Stylon constructed two settling ponds that were connected in series to collect wastewater. This practice continued until the first pond was closed because of the settling of discarded material. In 1959 the pond was closed, leaving the sediments in place and covered with fill dirt. After 1959, the effluent from settling pond 1 drained into settling pond 2 where its effluent was discharged directly into the east drainage channel. This practice continued from 1960 to 1970. Presently, three settling ponds are connected in series. The liquid effluent from the separator is sent to the first pond and then drawn off into the second and third ponds sequentially, and the liquid from the third pond is drawn off into the sanitary sewer system.
Runoff from the area of Plant 2 is drained into a ditch at the southeast corner of the site. This ditch continues to flow for about 1.5 miles until it empties into Sweetwater Creek. Sweetwater Creek runs into the Tennessee River approximately 1.75 miles downstream of this confluence.
Dr. Brian J. Hughes and Ms. Janice Gilliland from the ADPH visited the site on November 12, 1993. The site visit included an inspection of the manufacturing process, the area surrounding the plants, and the ditches leading off site as far as Cox and Sweetwater Creeks. The following was observed:
C. Demographics, Land Use, and Natural Resource Use
Demographics
According to 1990 census data, the population of Lauderdale County is 80,249. It is 89.7% white and 10.3% black and other races. The median age is 34.9, and the population density is 121.4 persons per square mile. The on-site worker population consists of approximately 400 male and female employees.
The 26.8 acre site is located within the City of Florence, Alabama, in a mixed residential/industrial area. According to the 1990 census, the population of Florence is 36,426. The population is 82.1% white, 17.1% black, and 0.8% other, with a median age of 34.5 years.
A geographic information computer software program called Atlas GIS was used to estimate the population within a 1/2 mile radius of the site (1). The program bases estimates of populations on the percentage of block groups contained within the specified radius, and is only an approximation of the actual population in the defined area. Atlas GIS gives an estimated population within 1/2 mile of the site as 2199 people living in 997 households with an average household income of $26,005.
The City of Florence has several universities and colleges including the University of North Alabama, Faulkner University, and International Bible College; thus the age groups with the highest and second highest populations are the 15-19 and the 20-24 year old groups, respectively. We contacted three schools within 1/2 mile of the site regarding their student enrollments: Bradshaw High School, Sylvan Learning Center and Discovery Child Care. Bradshaw High School has an enrollment of approximately 915 students in grades 9-12. Sylvan Learning Center has 36 students and Discovery Child Care has approximately 50-60 students.
Land Use
The area around the site is mixed industrial and residential. Residential properties in the area are used secondarily for light agriculture (pecan trees and vegetable gardens). Land use in the area also includes recreational facilities, churches, apartments, medical facilities, and other similar uses.
Natural Resource Use
The site lies in the Highland Rim section of the Interior Low Plateau physiographic province (2). The area is characterized by rolling uplands underlain by a red clay mantle ranging from 50 to 100 feet thick. Limestone deposits underlay this mantle with Fort Payne Chert underneath the limestone.
Water sources in the Florence area are used for domestic, industrial, municipal, navigational, and recreational purposes. Two surface water intakes located on Pickwick Lake and Cypress Creek supply water to the cities of Sheffield and Florence. A few private wells exist in the area of the site, but these are limited to uses other than domestic drinking water and a public water system is available for all inhabitants.
The site sits on a topographical divide. The direction of groundwater flow from the southern part of the site is in a southwesterly to westerly direction, and flow from the northern part of the plant is in a northwesterly to westerly direction, depending on the level of precipitation. For example, the groundwater flows southeast during December (a comparably dry month), but shifts to the west during March (a comparably wet month).
Because the site sits on a topographical divide, surface water from the facility runs both north and south (Figure 5). The northerly direction of flow runs into a drainage ditch that empties into Cox Creek, which is designated as suitable for fish and wildlife. Cox Creek runs into Cypress Creek, which also is designated as suitable for fish and wildlife, and serves as a source for the public water supply. Cypress Creek flows into the Tennessee River. The southerly direction of the flow runs into a drainage ditch and joins Sweetwater Creek. Sweetwater Creek flows into the Tennessee River. The Tennessee River is heavily used for recreational purposes, such as fishing and swimming, and for industrial purposes.
The State of Alabama does not maintain a cancer registry, but the ADPH compiles an annual
report on cancer mortality rates. Rates are published by state and county. In addition, the report
also compiles rates on other causes of death and statistics on infant and perinatal mortality.
ADPH maintains databases on elevated blood lead levels for children and adults. These reports
will be discussed in the Health Outcome Data Evaluation subsection of the Public Health Implications section.
ADPH determined community concerns by holding two Public Availability Sessions at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library on January 13, 1994. ADPH announced the Public Availability Sessions by sending notices to residences within a 1/2 mile radius around the site. Addresses were obtained from the Florence City Directory. The notices gave interested persons an opportunity to voice their concerns by calling or writing the ADPH or by attending the meetings. Eighteen people came to the sessions, and three responded in writing. Conversations with residents of Florence revealed the following concerns:
These concerns will be addressed in the Community Health Concerns subsection of the Public Health Implications Section.
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