PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
OKLAHOMA REFINING COMPANY
CYRIL, CADDO COUNTY, OKLAHOMA
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has concluded that the Oklahoma Refining Company site was a public health hazard during its operation based on probable exposure during the release of wastes from the oil refinery process. The site is a public health hazard for on-site trespassers and possibly on-site workers, if unprotected, due to open waste pits, ponds, and traps. However, trespassing is unlikely at this time since a fence has been installed between the active refinery and the pits, ponds, and traps. Future use of contaminated groundwater for drinking water could also pose a public health hazard.
Contaminants associated with the site include volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile compounds, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons. Heavy metals and PAHs are the primary contaminants at levels of health concern. Ingestion of wastes and contaminated soil could lead to adverse health effects caused primarily by elevated concentrations of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Potential human exposure pathways at the site are ingestion of or dermal contact with contaminated soil and waste sources. Contaminated groundwater has not been and is not being used for drinking water. During the operation of Oklahoma Refining Company, ambient air is likely to have been a significant exposure pathway for on-site workers and off-site residents. Residents swimming in Gladys Creek downstream of the ORC site during refinery operations are likely to have been exposed to contaminants in surface water and sediments.
Data inadequacies include information on ambient air concentrations during the operation of
ORC, current ambient air concentrations and meteorological conditions, and heavy metals in
soils of nearby residential yards.
ATSDR recommends the following actions be taken to protect public health:
Provide adequate personal protective equipment that meets Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for workers conducting remedial activities in and around the site.
Employ methods of dust suppression if remediation will disturb the ground cover. In addition to
on-site air monitoring, appropriate real-time, peripheral air monitoring should be conducted
during working hours. Levels of contaminants in ambient air at the periphery of the site should
not exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) or NIOSH recommendations. All
actions to prevent exposures to contaminants associated with the ORC site during remediation
should help protect people working or living on or near the site.
Health Activities Recommendation Panel
In order, to determine if public health actions are needed, ATSDR's Health Activities
Recommendation Panel (HARP) has evaluated the data and information developed in the
Oklahoma Refining Company Public Health Assessment. Based on the current environmental
data, exposure to contaminants at levels of public health concern are likely to occur if trespassers
or future unprotected on-site workers come in contact with contaminants in pits and
impoundments, surface soil, or waste. Environmental data are not available to evaluate the past
exposure to air contaminants which may have been generated during the operation of the
refinery. HARP has determined that further health actions are indicated for the Oklahoma
Refining Company Site. HARP determined that community health education is needed for area
residents regarding health hazards of on-site contaminants that they may come in contact with
when trespassing on the site, that might include posting signs alerting trespassers of the potential health hazards of site contaminants in pits and impoundments.
The purpose of the Public Health Action Plan (PHAP) is to ensure that this public health assessment not only identifies public health hazards but also provides a plan of action designed to mitigate and prevent adverse human health effects resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.
Actions Planned:
ATSDR will collaborate with appropriate federal, state, and local agencies to pursue the implementation of the environmental recommendations outlined in this public health assessment.
Actions Undertaken:
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has provided a fact sheet to explain the potential
health effects of exposure to site contaminants (arsenic, lead, and chromium) (Appendix IV).
Laura H. Barr
Environmental Health Scientist
Remedial Programs Branch
Division of Health Assessment & Consultation
Tina Forrester, Ph.D.
Toxicologist
Remedial Programs Branch
Division of Health Assessment & Consultation
Region VI Senior Representative:
George Pettigrew
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