HEALTH CONSULTATION
Water Quality Assessment
EAST HARDY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL SITE
(a/k/a BAKER VO-TECH)
BAKER, HARDY COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF ISSUES
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources accepted a petition from the Hardy County Commission to review water quality at the East Hardy School complex. This health consultation was performed under terms of the West Virginia Cooperative Agreement Grant with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
The petitioner was concerned because many current and former students and employees at the East Hardy School complex in Baker, WV, have been diagnosed with cancers of various types. The petitioner asked that we review water quality at the complex to determine whether chemicals in the water could be causing these illnesses. One stated concern of the community was that the water could be affected by manure or chemicals from the poultry industry in the area.
The East Hardy School complex is located off West Virginia Route 55 near Baker, Hardy County, West Virginia. Route 55 was rerouted to the south side of the school campus in 1992 (Figure 1). Route 55 has now been rerouted to a four-lane road that is north of the campus. The school campus is located along a stream called Baker Run, a tributary of Lost River. The area is rural and mountainous. No past or present industrial influences on the groundwater are known in this area. Local residents state that the school site was previously used for farming or was woodland.
East Hardy High School was built as a vocational-technical school in 1973. The building was expanded in 1979 when it became the only high school in the eastern part of Hardy County. Since 1992, the average annual attendance at the high school has been 235. The other school in the complex, East Hardy Early/Middle School, was built in 1992. This is the only grade and middle school for the eastern part of the county. The average annual attendance at the Early/Middle School has been 530 [1].
The schools are served by two wells at the southern edge of the school property. These wells are permitted by the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WVBPH) as Baker Vo-Tech, #WV9916002. The original wells were drilled on school property in 1973. Well #1 was drilled at latitude 39.0463 and longitude -78.7606. Well #2 was drilled at latitude 39.0467 and longitude -78.7612. Water from both wells is mixed and chlorinated in a pump house near the wells. New pumps were installed in 1999. The water line to the Early/Middle School had to be replaced in 2000 (Representative Hardy County Schools, personal communication, 2002). Well #1 was found to be influenced by surface water in 2000 and was not producing enough water to supply the schools. A new well was drilled in the fall of 2001 to replace the original well #1. The new Well #1 was drilled at latitude 39.0464 and longitude -78.7609. The original Well #1 was capped [2].
The high school uses a hot-water heating system served by a boiler. This system is supplied by the water system at the school. In 2000, the school upgraded the double-check valve system with a reduced-pressure zone device. These valves are designed to prevent boiler water that may be contaminated with chemicals or bacteria from entering the potable water supply at the high school (Representative Hardy County Schools, personal communication, 2002)[3].
The West Virginia Source Water Assessment and Protection Program has evaluated potential sources of contamination for the water supplied to the schools as part of the their state-wide program. Some potential sources of chemical contamination are: two sewage-treatment plants for the schools, above-ground diesel storage tanks for the school generator, an underground diesel storage tank for the high school boiler, the school wood shop and greenhouses, the high school welding and automotive shops, and above-ground diesel storage tanks located at the school bus facility just east of the school campus [4].
Baker, WV, had 1262 residents and Hardy county had residents 12,669 in 2000 [5]. More than 70% of the population have high school educations or higher. Of the Hardy County population, 26% are 19 years or younger and 20% are 60 years or older. Although this is a rural agricultural area, only 2% of residents list farming, fishing, or forestry as their occupations. Most persons (32.9%) in Hardy County are employed in production, transportation, and material moving [5]. Agricultural activities in the eastern part of Hardy county are corn, hay, beef cattle, chicken, and turkey production.
Soils in the Baker area have low-to-very low water capacity and are termed "droughty"[6]. The underlying rock strata are fractured limestone. Groundwater in the area would be expected to flow from the Big Ridge anticline, located about 1½ mile west of the school site (between Baker and Needmore), toward the Sidling Hill syncline, which is just east of the school complex and parallel to Lost River [7].
Site visit
School management and maintenance personnel accompanied personnel from West
Virginia's ATSDR Cooperative Partnership Program during the site visit on November
7, 2002. The high school and the early/middle schools were visited. The well
field and the well house for the school's wells were inspected.
The only area that was observed as a potential source of groundwater contamination was behind the high school. The ground outside the overhead doors of the high school shop was black. The appearance of the area around and under a drum used to collect used oil, greases, and solvents indicated that spills had occurred in the past and that this area was a potential source of contamination to the groundwater.
Scope of data evaluation
WVBPH water-quality reports for the East Hardy School complex from August
1993 through October 2002 were reviewed. February 2002 data from the methyl
tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) survey by the West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection (WVDEP) was obtained for this site (Representative of the MTBE program,
WVDEP, personal communication, 2002). Sample results on file with the WVBPH
from other wells in the vicinity of the school were reviewed to determine whether
groundwater in the area was contaminated with hazardous chemicals.
The first step in assessing potential health risks associated with water at the East Hardy School complex was to compare sample analysis results with comparison values (CVs) (Table 1). CVs are media-specific concentrations used to determine what contaminants require further evaluation. Sample results that exceed CVs do not necessarily represent health threats but do require further evaluation based on site-specific exposure scenarios. Any result below a CV is considered to be at a level unlikely to pose a health threat. Samples were analyzed for 84 contaminants (Table 1) of which 76 were at or below the detection level for that contaminant and were not considered to be health risks. Of the 84 contaminants, 7 were over the detection level but did not exceed any environmental guideline CVs. These seven chemicals were, therefore, not considered to be potential health risks. Only one chemical, arsenic, was detected at a level over the environmental guideline CVs, indicating that the level of arsenic in the water needs further review. Because of community concerns, nitrate was also selected for further review.
Arsenic
Arsenic was selected for further analysis because results of one water sample
exceeded two CVs, one for non-carcinogenic effects and the other for carcinogenic
effects.
Non-carcinogenic effects of arsenic
EMEGs (Environmental Media Evaluation Guides) for children are estimated
concentrations that would not cause adverse non-carcinogenic health effects
for a child exposed to a substance at or below the EMEG level for a period longer
than a year. The arsenic chronic EMEG for children is 0.003 parts per million
(ppm) (mg/L.) This health based standard for a child is more protective than
the current state regulatory limit (maximum contaminant level) of 0.05 mg/L
or the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliance standard of 0.01
mg/L [8].
The exposure assessment assumed that a child weighing 10 kilograms (kg) (about 22 pounds) would drink 0.5 liter of water during the 7-hour school day. Using these assumptions, the intake of arsenic from water containing 0.008 mg/L of arsenic would be 0.0004 mg/kg/day. Of course, a heavier child would have an exposure lower than this because the average intake per kilogram of body weight goes down as the weight increases. The potential exposure is further reduced by the fact that a child is at school only 180 days per year for a total of 13 years.
The adult employees' exposure is about 7 ½ hours per day for 187 days per year. A 70 kg (about 154 lb.) adult would be at the school for about half the waking hours and would be assumed to drink 1 liter of water each day at school. Using these assumptions, the adult intake of arsenic from water containing 0.008 mg/L of arsenic would be 0.0001 mg/kg/day.
ATSDR Health Guidelines (9/30/2002) for chronic oral minimal risk level for arsenic is 0.0003 mg/kg/day. Exposures of children and adults at the level of arsenic found in water at the East Hardy Consolidated School do not exceed this health-based comparison value. Based on this analysis no adverse health effects are expected from this exposure.
Carcinogenic Effects of Arsenic
Cancer risk evaluation guides (CREG's) are levels of chemicals that would
be expected to cause no more than one excess cancer in a million persons exposed
during their lifetime (70 years). The CREG for arsenic is 0.00002 mg/L. However,
children at this school would not be exposed to arsenic over a lifetime from
this source. The exposure dose of 0.0001 mg/kg/day is 10 times less than the
lowest observable level of adverse effects level (LOAEL) for arsenic in water
[9]. Based on this analysis no adverse health effects are expected from this
exposure.
Nitrates
Nitrates were selected for further review because of community concern about
water contamination by the local poultry industry. Nitrates are a component
of manure generated by agricultural operations. The highest level of nitrates
found in East Hardy Consolidated School complex water was 0.28 mg/L. This is
36 times less than the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for nitrate in water
(10 ppm) set by EPA under authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act. MCLs are
protective of public health during a lifetime (70 years) exposure of consuming
2 liters of water a day. Nitrates have not been found in East Hardy Consolidated
School complex water at levels exceeding any environmental guideline CV and
are, therefore, considered to be at levels below those causing any adverse health
effects.
Other water sources
Three other firms using groundwater in the area near the school have reported
chemical test results to WVBPH. The data reviewed indicated that groundwater
in this area is not contaminated and should not adversely affect the health
of children or adults who drink it.
Potential for water contamination from the boiler in the high school
Boiler water did not likely enter the drinking water system of the high
school before the check-valve system was upgraded. For boiler water to enter
the school water system, check valves would have to malfunction at a time when
water pressure in the school (normally 60-84 pounds per square inch) was less
than water pressure in the boiler system (normally 20 pounds per square inch)(Representative
of Hardy County Schools, personal communication, 2002)[3].
Community Concerns
Several children and former students have been diagnosed with leukemia,
brain cancer, and various other cancers. Breast cancer has been diagnosed in
some adult school employees. The West Virginia Cancer Registry is currently
obtaining data on these cancers. No report has been issued. Therefore, this
consultation does not address the issue of potential increased cancer rates.
However, based on this evaluation of available water sampling data there is
no reason to expect any elevation of cancer rates in the students or employees
at this school from drinking the water.
ATSDR CHILDREN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE
Potentially exposed persons at this site are predominantly children. This health consultation used ATSDR health guideline comparison values that are protective of children's (including adolescent's) health. Children's health guidelines are more protective than are levels set for adults because children are more physically vulnerable to the potential toxic effects of chemicals in the environment. Children can sustain permanent damage if toxic exposures occur during development. Analysis of the data considered potential exposures to children, as well as to adults, unless otherwise noted.
Available water-sample data indicate that drinking water from the East Hardy School complex did not contain contaminants at levels of health concern for children or adults. Furthermore, the data indicate that no contamination from spillage of oil, grease, or solvents has occurred thus far.
Potential contamination of water at the high school from the low-pressure boiler was unlikely in the past, and improvements to the system make it even less likely in the present and future.
Evaluation of available relevant data indicates that water at the East Hardy School complex poses no public health hazard for the past and present. Data available for this health consult indicate that water is not likely to pose a public health hazard in the future.
Barbara J. Smith, MS
Epidemiologist II
Public Health Sanitation Division
Office of Environmental Health Services
Bureau for Public Health, WV DHHR
Alrena V. Lightbourn, REM, MS
Environmental Toxicologist
Public Health Sanitation Division
Office of Environmental Health Services
Bureau for Public Health, WV DHHR
Reviewer of Report:
Joseph A. Wyatt, RS
Acting Director, Public Health Sanitation Division
Office of Environmental Health Services
Bureau for Public Health, WV DHHR
ATSDR Technical Project Officer
Alan G. Parham, REHS, MPH
Technical Project Officer
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
1600 Clifton Road, N.E. MS-E32
Atlanta, GA 30333
ATSDR Regional Representatives
Lora Siegmann-Werner
ATSDR Region III Regional Representative
1650 Arch Street Mail Stop 3HS00
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Tom Stukas
ATSDR Region III Regional Representative
1650 Arch Street Mail Stop 3HS00
Philadelphia, PA 19103
The Health Consultation on the East Hardy Consolidated School Site, a/k/a Baker Vo-Tech, in Baker, Hardy County, West Virginia was prepared by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources under a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). It is in accordance with approved methodology and procedures existing at the time the Health Consultation was begun.
Alan G. Parham, REHS, MPH
Technical Project Officer
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation (DHAC)
ATSDR
The Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, ATSDR, has reviewed this Health Consultation and concurs with its findings.
Roberta Erlwein
Section Chief, SPS, SSAB, DHAC, ATSDR
[1] Whetzel, Ron, Superintendent. Translating educational needs into facility needs. Report to the West Virginia School Building Authority, Charleston, WV. Moorefield: Hardy County Board of Education. 1999.
[2] West Virginia Rural Water Association. Data sheets concerning GPS locations at the Baker Vo-Tech/East Hardy High Site. Scott Depot, West Virginia. December 18, 2001.
[3] West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Letter to Ron Whetzel, Superintendent, Hardy County Schools, from Alan F. Marchun, E.I. District Engineer, BPH, OEHS. Charleston, WV. September 14, 2000.
[4] West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Source water assessment report, Baker Vo/Tech/East Hardy High, Hardy County. Office of Environmental Health Services, Source Water Protection Unit. Charleston, WV. 2003.
[5] Bureau of the Census. 2000 Summary File. US Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.,
[cited 2003 March 17] Available from URL: http://factfinder.census.gov 
.
[6] US Department of Agriculture. Soil survey of Grant and Hardy Counties, West Virginia.. Washington, D.C.: Soil Conservation Service, November 1989.
[7] Tilton, John L., Prouty, William F., Tucker, R.C., Price, Paul H., White, I.C. West Virginia geological survey of Hampshire and Hardy Counties. Morgantown: Morgantown Printing & Binding Company,1927.
[8] Environmental Protection Agency. Arsenic in drinking water. Washington, D.C., 2003 Feb
[cited 2003 Mar 17]. Available from URL: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html .
[9] Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for arsenic. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2000 Sept. Contract No. 205-1999-00024.
Table 1. Water testing results for water quality assessment of East Hardy School complex, Baker, Hardy County, West Virginia, 2002.
| Contaminant | # Samples | # Detections | Range of concentrations
measured milligram/Liter (mg/L) (ND=not detected) |
Environmental Guideline Comparison Values (CV) | # detections greater than CV | |
| (mg/L) | Type of CV | |||||
| 1,1,1-trichloroethane | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,1,2-trichloroethane | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,1-dichloroethylene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,2-dichlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,2-dichloroethene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,2-dichloropropane | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| 1,4-dichlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| 2,4-D | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| 2,4,5-TP (silvex) | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| alachlor | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| aldicarb | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| aldicarb sulfone | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| aldicarb sulfoxide | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| antimony | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| arsenic | 3 | 1 | ND-0.008 | 0.003 | Chronic EMEG-child | 1 |
| (arsenic) | 0.00002 | CREG | 1 | |||
| atrazine | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| barium | 3 | 3 | 0.24-0.31 | 0.7 | RMEG-child | 0 |
| benzene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| benzo(a)pyrene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| beryllium | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| cadmium | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| carbofuran | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| carbon tetrachloride | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| chlordane | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| chlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| chromium | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| cis-1,2-dichloroethene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| copper | 77 | 73 | ND-1.07 | 1.3 | MCLG | 0 |
| cyanide (total) | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| dalapon | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| dibromochloropropane (DBCP) | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| dichloromethane | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| dinoseb | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| endrin | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| ethylbenzene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| ethylene dibromide (EDB) | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| fluoride | 3 | 2 | ND-0.15 | 0.6 | Chronic EMEG-child | 0 |
| heptachlor | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| heptachlor epoxide | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| hexachlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| hexachlorocyclopentadiene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| lead | 79 | 0 | ND | |||
| lindane | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| m,p-xylene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| mercury | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| methoxychlor | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| methylene chloride | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| monochlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| nickel | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| nitrogen,nitrate | 6 | 1 | ND-0.28 | 20 | RMEG-child | 0 |
| o-xylene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| o-dichlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| oxamyl (vydate) | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| p-dichlorobenzene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1016 (* polychlorinated biphenol) | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1221 | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1232 | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1242 | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1248 | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1254 | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| PCB*-1260 | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| pentachlorophenol | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| picloram | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| selenium | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| simazine | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| sodium | 3 | 3 | 15.2-21.4 | * | ||
| styrene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| sulfate | 3 | 3 | 12.1-24.3 | ** | ||
| tert-butyl alcohol | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| tetrachloroethene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| tetrachloroethylene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| thallium | 3 | 0 | ND | |||
| toluene | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| toxaphene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| trans-1,2-dichloroethylene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| trans-1,2-dichloroethene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| trichloroethene | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| vinyl chloride | 1 | 0 | ND | |||
| xylenes (total) | 2 | 0 | ND | |||
| * there is no health-based comparison value for sodium in water | ||||||
| ** the National Secondary Drinking Water Standard for sulfate is 250 mg/L. This standard becomes a health-based standard at a level considerably higher than 250 mg/L | ||||||
| CREG: Cancer Risk Evaluation Guide (ATSDR) | ||||||
| RMEG-child: Reference Dose Media Evaluation Guide for children (ATSDR) | ||||||
| MCLG: Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for Drinking Water (EPA) | ||||||
| Chronic EMEG-child: Environmental Media Evaluation Guide for children's chronic exposure (ATSDR) | ||||||
