PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE
SPOKANE, SPOKANE COUNTY, WASHINGTON

Figure 1. Fairchild Air Force Base Site Location Map

Figure 2. Fairchild Air Force Base Satellite Facilities

Figure 3. Fairchild Air Force Base Hazardous Waste Sites

Figure 4. Demographics for Fairchild Air Force Base and Surrounding Area

Figure 5. Craig Road Landfill and Surrounding Area

Figure 6. Craig Road Landfill Plume and Well Locations

Figure 7. Well Locations for Sites WW-1, FT-1 and West Thorpe Road Area Residences
| Table B1. Hazardous Waste Sites at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington | |||
| SITE | DESCRIPTION | DATE OF OPERATION | ACTIONS TAKEN/DATE |
| SW-1 | Landfill | 1949-1957/1958 | LTM/12-93 |
| SW-8 | Craig Road Landfill | 1957/1958-late 1970s | Geotextile liner/? Pump-and-treat /9-95 LTM/12-93 |
| WW-1 | Industrial Wastewater Lagoons | Circa 1942-present | Pump-and-treat /2-96 LTM/12-93 |
| FT-01 | Fire Training Area | 1970-1991 | Soil bioventing/6-97 Groundwater air sparging/6-97 |
| IS-1 | French Drain System | 1978-1992 | LTM/12-93 |
| PS-1 | POL Bulk Storage Area | 1951-present | LTM/12-93 Soil bioventing/5-97 |
| PS-3 | Pumphouse | 1951-present | NFA |
| PS-4/PS-9 | Aircraft Crash Sites | PS-4: Dates Unknown PS-9: Crashed in 1987 |
NFA |
| PS-5 | Former Fuel Oil Storage Tank Area | Unknown-1985 | LTM/12-93 |
| PS-7 | Underground Fuel Oil Storage Tanks | Unknown-1988 | LTM/12-93 |
| SW-6 | Radioactive Waste Disposal Area | Early 1950s-not presently used | NFA |
| SW-10 | Disposal Area | Unknown | NFA |
| SW-11 | Aircraft Salvage and Reclamation Area | Early 1940s-Early 1980s (Not used as a salvage yard since 50s or 60s) | Soil cover seeded with grass/3-92 |
| SW-12 | Disposal Area | Unknown | NFA |
| SW-13 | EOD Range | Unknown-1989 | NFA |
| IS-3 | Building has been used for many purposes including Engine Test Cell and Storage of PCB materials | 1942-present (building has been pickled and is no longer in operation) | Institutional controls/1-96 |
| IS-4 | Jet Engine Test Cell | 1953-1988 | Soil LTM/12-93 Institutional controls/1-96 |
| PS-2 | Refueling Pit Area (OU-1) |
Circa 1942-present | LTO Groundwater/12-93 LTM/12-93 |
| SW-2 | Waste Disposal Area | Early 1940s-late 1940s | NFA |
| SW-3 | Waste Disposal Area | Operated in mid-1960s | NFA |
| SW-4 | Coal Storage Area | 1940s | NFA |
| SW-5 | Incinerator | 1940s-1960s | NFA |
| SW-7 | Asphalt Disposal Area | 1958-late 50s/early 60s | NFA |
| SW-9 | Radioactive Waste Disposal Area | Unknown | NFA |
| PS-8 | Fuel Line Area | Circa 1942-present | LTM/12-93 |
| PS-6 | Defueling Tank Area | Circa 1942-present | NFA |
| WW-2 | Wastewater Treatment Plant | Early 1960s-present | NFA |
| IS-2 | Civil Engineer Storage Facility | Decontamination materials removed in 1979 | NFA |
| PS-10 | Discharge Ditch from Fuel Truck Maintenance; historically a liquid oxygen and nitrogen facility and corrosion control and paint shop building | 1959-present (no discharge into ditch since 1987) | Soil removal/8-96 LTM/? |
| FT-2 | Former Fire Training Area | Unknown | Soil LTM/1-96 Institutional controls/1-96 |
| AOC-1 | Vehicle maintenance facility | 1942-present | NFA |
| AOC-2 | Propulsion shop at Building 2163 | 1953-present | NFA |
| SS-33 (AOC#3) |
Waste storage area at Building 1419 | Circa 1960-present | Soil removal/7-97 |
| SD-34 (AOC#4) |
Waste fuel operations at Buildings 1012 and 1037 | Early 1960's-present | Soil removal/7-97 |
| ST-35 (AOC#5) |
Fuel transfer facility at Building 2165 | 1942-present | Sol removal/7-97 |
| WP-36 (AOC#6) |
Holding lagoon and Imhoff tank | 1952-present | Soil LTM/3-97 Institutional controls/3-97 |
| SD-37 (AOC#7) |
Basewide oil/water separators | Unknown-present | Upgraded w/ soil removal/1995 |
| SD-38 (AOC#8) |
Basewide ditches piping and culverts discharging to the lagoons |
Circa 1950-present |
Soil removal/6-97 |
| SS-39 | Orphan TCE plume (Basewide) | Unknown | Interim removal action/9-97 |
APPENDIX C: CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN
The tables below list the contaminants of concern (COCs) for each exposure pathway. The are criteria used for listing a chemical as a COC include: 1) exceedance or lack of media specific health comparison values, 2) noted community health concerns and 3) the quality and extent of sampling data. For metals, background values are also used since these elements occur naturally. If the metal does not exceed its 90th percentile background value for the Spokane Basin as determined by Ecology, then it is not a contaminant of concern. In some cases, site-derived background values are used if an Ecology value is not available. Also, any contaminant listed in one medium will by default be listed in all other media in which it is detected. In general, a contaminant is compared with a screening value to see if it is occurring at a high enough level to warrant further consideration. If the contaminant exceeds the screening value, it is evaluated under the Pathways Analysis section.
Media-specific health comparison values are contaminant concentrations in specific media (i.e., air, soil and water) used to select contaminants for further evaluation. If a contaminant exceeds these health comparison values, this does not mean that a public health concern exists but rather signifies the need to consider the chemical further which is done in the Public Health Implications section of the public health assessment. The health comparison values used in this public health assessment include environmental media evaluation guides (EMEGs), cancer risk evaluation guides (CREGs), reference dose media evaluation guides (RMEGs), maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), lifetime health advisories (LTHAs) and ambient water quality criteria (AWQCs).
EMEGs are media-specific health comparison values used to select contaminants of concern at hazardous waste sites. EMEGs are derived from the minimal risk levels (MRLs) presented in the ATSDR Toxicological Profiles. An MRL is an estimate of daily human exposure to a chemical that is likely to be without a substantial risk of harmful (non-cancerous) effects over a specified duration of exposure. RMEGs are media-specific health comparison values derived from EPA's reference dose (RfD) that are used when EMEGs are not available. RfDs estimate the daily exposure to a contaminant below which adverse health effects are not anticipated. CREGs are estimated contaminant concentrations in a specific medium that are anticipated to result in one excess cancer in one million persons exposed over a lifetime. CREGs are calculated from EPA's cancer slope factors (CSFs), also known as cancer potency factors. CSFs are cancer potency estimates derived for chemicals shown to be carcinogenic in either animals or humans. MCLs are contaminant concentrations in water derived by EPA to be protective of public health (considering the availability and economics of water treatment technology) over a lifetime (70 years) at an ingestion exposure rate of 2 liters of water per day. MCLs are enforceable, regulatory values. LTHAs are non-enforceable guidelines derived for a lifetime ingestion exposure to a contaminant in drinking water. They are calculated for non-carcinogenic compounds from Drinking Water Equivalent Levels (DWELs) which in turn are based on oral RfDs. LTHAs do consider the contribution of other media to the overall exposure. Human health-based AWQCs are derived for both carcinogens and non-carcinogens based on EPA's CSFs and RfDs, respectively. Two values are derived based on either ingestion of water (2 liters/day) or ingestion of both water and organisms (2 liters/day and 6.5 grams of fish/day). AWQCs used in this public health assessment include a consideration of both pathways unless otherwise noted.
Also, included in the COC tables are EPA's weight-of-evidence cancer classification for each contaminant. This classification scheme will be revised in the near future but currently consists of six groups: 1) Group A - Known Human Carcinogen, 2) Group B1 - Probable Human Carcinogen with sufficient animal data and limited human data, 3) Group B2 - Probable Human Carcinogen with sufficient animal data and inadequate or no human data, 4) Group C - Possible Human Carcinogen, 5) Group D - Not Classifiable as to Human Carcinogenicity and 6) Group E -Evidence of Non-carcinogenicity in Humans
Completed Exposure Pathways
Pathway 1a: Craig Road Landfill --> Groundwater --> Vietzke Village Residents/Airway Heights Residents/Scafco Employees
| Table C1: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington
Pathway 1a: Craig Road Landfill --> Groundwater --> Vietzke Village Residents/Airway Heights Residents/Scafco Employees | |||||||||||
| Max/MaxR (ppb) |
Location (Well #) |
Date | |||||||||
| Contaminant | Vietzke Village |
Airway Heights |
Scafco | Vietzke Village |
Airway Heights |
Scafco | Vietzke Village |
Airway Heights |
Scafco | Comparison Value ppb       Source | |
| TCE | 80/59 | 3.2/0.7 | 63/0.7 | RW-9/ RW-11 |
RW -1&4 | RW-7A/ RW-7A |
7-89/ 6-91 |
2-95 /6-97 |
11-95/ 3-96 |
3 | CREG |
| Nitrate | 10,500 | NA | NA | ? | NA | NA | 1-86 | NA | NA | 10,000 | MCL |
Pathway 1b: Craig Road Landfill --> Air --> Vietzke Village Residents
No ambient air monitoring data are available for any locations on or off base. Soil gas concentrations at the Craig Road Landfill were used with EPA's SCREEN air model to estimate levels of TCE, benzene, and methylene chloride at the perimeter of the base. See the Pathways Analysis section for a discussion of ambient contaminants originating from the Craig Road Landfill.
Pathway 2: Lagoons and Fire Training Area --> Groundwater --> West Thorpe Road Area Residents
| Table C2: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington Pathway 2: Lagoons and Fire Training Area --> Groundwater --> West Thorpe Road Area Residents | |||||||
| Contaminant | Max/ MaxR (ppb) |
Location (Well #) |
Date | Comparison Value ppb       Source |
EPA Cancer Class |
Comments | |
| TCE | 1.5/1.1 | RW-13/RW-23 | 2-95/6-97 | 3 | CREG | B2 | Selected as a COC based on potential for increase in residential wells. |
Pathway 3: No-Name Ditch (Fairchild Easement) --> Sediment/Surface Water --> West Thorpe Road Area Residents
| Table C3: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington
Pathway : No-Name Ditch (Fairchild Easement) Sediment/Surface Water West Thorpe Road Area Residents | |||||||||
| Contaminant | Maximuma | Comparison Value | Background | EPA Cancer Class | |||||
| Sediment (ppm) |
Surface
Water (ppb) |
Soil (ppm)       Source |
Surface |
Soilb |
Surface Water (ppb) |
||||
| Aluminum | 21800 | 2040 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 21376 | NA | NA |
| Antimony | 24.9 | ND | NA | NA | NA | NA | 8.1 | NA | NA |
| Arsenic | 42.9 | 3 | 0.5 | CREG | 0.018 | AWQC c | 9.3 | NA | A |
| Magnesium | 13900 | 18000 | NA | NA | 100 | AWQC d | 3415 | NA | NA |
| Manganese | 667 | 305 | NA | NA | 100 | AWQC d | 664 | NA | NA |
| Molybdenum | 86 | 262 | 300 | RMEG | NA | NA | 2 | NA | NA |
| TPH | 860 | 22,000 | 200 | MTCA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Pathway 4: Picloram --> Groundwater/Soil/Surface Water --> West Thorpe Road Area Residents
| Table C4: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington> Pathway 4: Tordon --> Groundwater/Soil/Surface Water --> West Thorpe Road Area Residents | |||||
| Media | Maximum Tordon Concentration (ppb) |
Location | Comparison Valuea (ppb)       Source |
Date | |
| Surface Water | 0.16 | Fairchild Easement |
NA | NA | 1/5/79 |
| Soil | 15.0 | Residential Garden |
NA | NA | NA |
| Groundwater | 13.2 | Residential Well |
500 | MCL | 1/3/79 |
| Cow's Milk | ND | Residence | NA | NA | 1/18/79 |
Pathway 5: On-Base Workers Sediment/Surface Soil Fairchild Personnel
| Table C5: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington Pathway 5: On-Base Activities --> Sediment/Soil --> Base Personnel | |||||||
| Contaminant | Basewide Maximum (ppm) |
Site | Comparison Value ppm       Source |
Backgrounda | EPA Cancer Class |
Comments | |
| 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane | 2050 | SD-37 | 4 | CREG | NA | C | Excavated soil from Tank 2447. Soil replaced. |
| 2-Hexanone | 400 | SD-37 | NA | NA | NA | NA | Excavated soil from Tank 2447. Soil replaced. |
| 2-Methylnaphthalene | 46.4 | FT-2 | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Acetone | 7450 | SD-37 | 5000 | RMEG | NA | D | Excavated soil from Tank 2447. Soil replaced. |
| Alkylbenzenes c | 73 | FT-2 | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Benzene | 300 | SD-37 | 20 | CREG | NA | A | Excavated soil from Tank 2447. Soil replaced. |
| Butanone | 3100 | SD-37 | NA | NA | NA | NA | Excavated soil from Tank 2447. Soil replaced. |
| Methylene chloride (Dichloromethane) |
1500 | SD-37 | 30 | CREG | NA | B2 | Excavated soil from Tank 2447. Soil replaced. |
| TCE | 581 | PS-10 | 60 | CREG | NA | B2 | Soil removal action in August, 1996. |
| TPH | 36000 | PS-10 | 200 | MTCA-A | NA | NA | Soil removal action in August, 1996. |
| INORGANIC SUBSTANCES | |||||||
| Aluminum | 28700 | SW-11 | NA | NA | 21376 | NA | SW-11 surface soil maximum = 24,600 |
| Antimony | 42.6 | IS-1 | 20 | RMEG | 8.1 b | NA | |
| Arsenic | 238 | SD-38 | 0.5 | CREG | 9.3 | A | Drainage basin. |
| Beryllium | 0.89 | SW-1 | 0.2 | CREG | 0.8 | B2 | |
| Cadmium | 372 | IS-1 | 40 | c-EMEG | 0.72 | B2 | SW-11 surface soil = 31.1 SW-11 overall = 158 |
| Chromium | 627 | IS-1 | 300 | RMEG | 17.8 | A | |
| Cobalt | 38.1 | WW-1 | NA | NA | 11 | NA | |
| Lead | 1564 | FT-2 | 250 | MTCA-A | 14.9 | B2 | SW-11 surface soil = 1,340 |
| Magnesium | 11300 | WW-1 | NA | NA | 3415 | NA | |
| Thallium | 43.1 | WW-1 | 4 | RMEG | 2.5 b | NA | |
Potential Exposure Pathways
Pathway 1: Future Off-Base Development --> Groundwater --> Off-Site Residents
| Table C6: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington Pathway 1: Future Off-Base Development --> Groundwater --> Off-Site Residents | ||||||||||
| Contaminant | Off-Base Concentration (ppb) Overall Max       MaxR |
Comparison |
Date Overall Max     MaxR |
Location |
EPA Cancer Class |
Comments | ||||
| Benzene a | 91 | 91 | 1 | CREG | 6/97 | 6/97 | FT-1/ MW-247 |
FT-1/ MW-247 |
A | |
| TCE | 490 | 480 | 3 | CREG | 1/90 | 3/97 | CRL/ MW-118 |
CRL/ MW-118 |
B2 | |
| Vinyl Chloride | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.2 | c-EMEG | 6/97 | 6/97 | WW-1/ MW-241 |
WW-1 MW-241 |
A | Max of 14 ppb in FT-1 perimeter well MW-226. |
| cis-1,2-DCE | 34 | 34 | 70 | LTHA | 6/97 | 6/97 | WW-1/ MW-241 |
WW-1/ MW-241 |
C | Low levels also detected in residential wells |
Pathway 2: Future On-Base Development --> Soil/Groundwater --> Future Residents
| Table C7: Contaminants of Concern for Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington Pathway 2: Future Base Development --> Soil/Groundwater a --> Future Residents | ||||||||||
| Contaminant | Groundwater Concentration (ppb) Overall       1996b Max       Max |
Comparison Value ppb     Source |
Date Overall       1996 Max       Max |
Site Location Overall       1996 Max       Max |
EPA Cancer Class |
Comments | ||||
| 1,1-DCE | 3 | 1.2 | 0.06 | CREG | 1991 | 6/96 | FT-1 | WW-1 | C | |
| Benzene | 2600 | 290 | 1 | CREG | 1991 | 12/96 | PS-2 | FT-1 | A | |
| cis-1,2-DCE | 830 | 620 | 70 | LTHA | 1993-94 | 3/96 | PS-10 | WW-1 | D | |
| Ethylbenzene | 1200 | 430 | 700 | LTHA | 1991 | 9/96 | PS-2 | PS-2 | D | |
| trans-1,2-DCE | <100 | 110 | 100 | LTHA | NA | 3/96 | NA | WW-1 | NA | |
| TCE | 2800 | 250 | 3 | CREG | 4/91 | 3/96 | CRL | WW-1 | B2 | No data located for CRL in 1996. |
| TPH | 110,000 | 5200 | 1000 | MTCA | 1991-92 | 3/96 | PS-1 | PS-1 | NA | |
| PCE | 2 | ND | 0.7 | CREG | 1995 | NA | SD-37 | NA | C | |
| Naphthalene | 170 | ND | 20 | LTHA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | D | |
| p-Isopropytoluene | 35 | ND | NA | NA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | NA | |
| n-Propylbenzene | 78 | ND | NA | NA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | NA | |
| 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene | 130 | ND | NA | NA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | NA | |
| 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene | 620 | ND | NA | NA | 1995 | NA | SD-37 | NA | NA | Oil/water separator 1012 |
| 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene | 380 | ND | NA | NA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | NA | |
| 1-methylnaphtthalene | 52 | ND | NA | NA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | NA | |
| 2-methylnaphthalene | 41 | ND | NA | NA | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | NA | |
| Isopropylbenzene | 40 | ND | NA | NA | 1995 | NA | SD-37 | NA | NA | Oil/water separator 1012 |
| Dimethyl phthalate | 34 | ND | NA | NA | 1993-94 | NA | PS-7 | D | NA | |
| Benzyl alcohol | 30 | ND | NA | NA | 1993-94 | NA | PS-7 | NA | NA | |
| sec-Butylbenzene | 26 | ND | NA | NA | 1995 | NA | SD-37 | NA | NA | Oil/water separator 1012 |
| 1,1-DCA | 8 | ND | NA | NA | 1993-94 | NA | FT-2 | NA | C | |
| 1,2-DCA | 36.2 | ND | NA | NA | 11/86 | NA | FT-1 | NA | B2 | |
| Chloromethane | 5.6 | 5.6 | 3 | LTHA | 9/96 | 9/96 | WW-1 | WW-1 | C | |
| Chloroform | 7.5 | ND | 6 | CREG | 1993-94 | NA | PS-7 | NA | B2 | |
| Bromodichloromethane | 1.8 | ND | 0.6 | CREG | 1993-94 | NA | PS-7 | NA | B2 | |
| Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | 30 | ND | 3 | CREG | 1991 | NA | IS-1 | NA | C | |
| Hexachlorobutadiene | 24 | ND | 0.4 | CREG | 1991-92 | NA | PS-1 | NA | C | |
| Vinyl chloride | 96 | 96 | 0.2 | c-EMEG | 3/96 | 3/96 | WW-1 | WW-1 | A | FT-1 max at 92 ppb in 3/96. |
| Xylenes | 5000 | 2734 | 2000 | i-EMEG | 1991 | 12/96 | PS-2 | FT-01 | D | |
| INORGANIC SUBSTANCES c | Background d (ppb) | |||||||||
| Aluminum | 335000 | NA | NA | NA | 1991 | NA | WW-1 | NA | NA | 6.5 |
| Antimony | 1400 | NA | 4 | RMEG | 7/89 | NA | WW-1 | NA | NA | 0.38 |
| Arsenic | 760 | NA | 0.02 | CREG | 7/89 | NA | WW-1 | NA | A | 0.003 |
| Barium | 3100 | NA | 700 | RMEG | 2/91 | NA | FT-1 | NA | NA | 0.88 |
| Beryllium | 200 | NA | 0.008 | CREG | 4/91 | NA | FT-1 | NA | B2 | 0.002 |
| Cadmium | 160 | NA | 7 | cEMEG | 7/89 | NA | WW-1 | NA | B2 | NA |
| Chromium | 800 | NA | 100 | LTHA | 2/91 | NA | WW-1 | NA | A | 0.028 |
| Cobalt | 330 | NA | NA | NA | 2/91 | NA | WW-1 | NA | NA | 0.047 |
| Lead | 2900 | NA | 15 | Action Level | 1991 | NA | FT-1 | NA | B2 | 0.009 |
| Magnesium | 140000 | NA | NA | NA | 1991 | NA | FT-1 | NA | NA | NA |
| Manganese | 19000 | NA | 50 | RMEG | 1991 | NA | FT-1 | NA | NA | 1.5 |
| Molybdenum | 4700 | NA | 40 | LTHA | 7/89 | NA | WW-1 | NA | NA | 0.26 |
| Nickel | 380 | NA | 100 | LTHA | 1991 | NA | WW-1 | NA | NA | 0.067 |
| Thallium | 3.3 | NA | 0.4 | LTHA | 1991 | NA | FT-1 | NA | NA | 0.15 |
| Vanadium | 830 | NA | 30 | iEMEG | 1991 | NA | WW-1 | NA | NA | 0.030 |
Pathway 3: Base Supply Well #2 --> Groundwater --> Base Personnel
There are no COCs for this pathway. Base Supply Well #2 is discussed under the Pathways Analysis section as potential exposure pathway 3.
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