PETITIONED HEALTH CONSULTATION

SURFACE WATER AND SEDIMENT PATHWAYS

SOUTHERN WOOD PIEDMONT COMPANY
(NORFOLK SOUTHERN FACILITY)
MACON, BIBB COUNTY, GEORGIA

CONCLUSIONS

Based on a review of available data and discussions with local and state environmental and health officials, ATSDR developed the following conclusions and assigned public health hazard categories to human exposure pathways of concern at the site. A description of ATSDR conclusion categories is provided in Appendix G.

• On-site surface water and sediment pose no apparent public health hazard. Elevated levels of individual PAHs, pentachlorophenol, dioxins, and furans have been detected in sediment and/or surface water collected from the on-site drainage ditch; however, exposure to SWP site-related contaminants through surface water or sediment pathways is neither occurring now nor expected to occur in the future at levels that cause adverse health effects. The perimeter fence restricts access to the ditch and the most contaminated sediment has been removed. Past exposure to contaminants in the on-site drainage ditch was likely infrequent and not likely to result in adverse health effects.
• Dillon Branch Creek surface water and sediment pose no apparent public health hazard. Contaminants at levels below ATSDR comparison values have been detected in Dillon Branch Creek near the residential locations downstream of the site. The features of the creek, including low flow and steep creek banks, make it unsuitable for most recreational use. Exposure is not expected to occur often; when it does, it is likely to be limited and not pose a human health hazard.
• Freedom Park Pond surface water and sediment pose no apparent public health hazard. Although only limited sampling was done for Freedom Park Pond, the wood preserving compounds present in Freedom Park Pond surface water and sediment are below the ATSDR comparison values. Exposure through limited skin contact that might occur during permitted recreational use (e.g., fishing) is not expected to result in adverse health effects.
• Consumption of fish from Freedom Park Pond poses an indeterminate public health hazard. Although ATSDR does not believe that fish in Freedom Park Pond accumulate the low levels of dioxins and furans in the pond's sediment to levels associated with human health hazards, supporting fish sampling data are not available.

RECOMMENDATIONS

ATSDR offers the following recommendations:

1. Continue to restrict access from Freedom Park via the trail to the on-site drainage ditch (e.g., through regular monitoring of the SWP perimeter fence).
2. Begin sampling fish in Freedom Park Pond. This will provide data so that ATSDR can more fully evaluate the extent, if any, that fish are accumulating dioxins and furans at levels that might pose health hazards to individuals who eat fish from Freedom Park Pond.

Should additional data become available that alter the findings of this health consultation, this health consultation will be modified by amendment when appropriate.

REFERENCES

ATSDR. 1989. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin. June.

ATSDR. 1990. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for creosote. TO-90-09. December.

ATSDR. 1992a. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for pentachlorophenol draft (update). October.

ATSDR. 1992b. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for chlorodibenzofuran draft. October.

ATSDR. 1993. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological profile for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)(update). October.

ATSDR. 1995. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Administrative record of activity by Carl Blair. January 5.

Bopp, R., M. Gross, H. Tong, M. Simpson, S. Monson, B. Deck, and F. Moser, 1991. A major incident of dioxin contamination: Sediment of New Jersey estuaries. Environ. Sci. 25: 951-956.

ChemRisk. 1991. Investigation of dioxins and furans in the soil of Southern Wood Piedmont Central of Georgia Railway Facility in Macon, Georgia. ChemRisk, Cleveland, OH. August 28.

ChemRisk. 1992. Health risk assessment for Freedom Park, Macon, Georgia. ChemRisk, Cleveland, OH. June 30.

Davis. 1996. Personal communication between Eastern Research Group, Inc., and Chuck Davis, Southern Wood Piedmont. June.

EPA. 1989. Interim procedures for estimating risk associated with exposure to mixtures of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (CDDs and CDFs) and 1989 update. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA/625/3-89.

ETE. 1989. Environmental Technology Engineering. Southern Wood Piedmont Norfolk Southern Facility groundwater quality assessment. Project No. 199/06-511. August 11.

ETE. 1990. Environmental Technology Engineering. Southern Wood Piedmont Norfolk Southern Facility groundwater quality assessment. Project No. 199/06-511. December 21.

ETE. 1992. Environmental Technology Engineering. Monitoring well installation, recovery well development, Dillon Branch soil sampling, water well survey, and Northern Dillon Branch location survey. Southern Wood Piedmont, Central Georgia Railroad, Macon, GA. Project No. 199/06-518. July 17.

Fortson, L. 1996. Personal communication between Eastern Research Group, Inc., and Larry Fortson, City of Macon Parks and Recreation Department. July.

Freedom Park Coordinator. 1997. Personal communication between Eastern Research Group, Inc., and Freedom Park Coordinator. June.

GAEPD. 1987. Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division. Ground water, surface water, and sediment monitoring data.

Geraghty & Miller. 1991a. Creek reconnaissance report: The northeastern branch of Dillon Creek, Macon, Georgia. Raleigh, NC. March.

Geraghty & Miller. 1991b. Soil and ditch sediment investigation at the Southern Wood Piedmont Company, Macon, Georgia, former wood treatment facility. Raleigh, NC.

Ling, Y., D. Soong, and M. Lee. 1995. PCDD/DFs and coplanar PCBs in sediment and fish samples for Er-Jen river in Taiwan. Chemosphere. 331:2863-72.

Petras, M., T. Wiesmuller, F. Palmer, J. Winkler, and R. Stephens. Aquatic life as biomonitors of dioxin/furan and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls contamination in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Chemosphere. 25:621-631.

Pierce, M. 1991. Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Memorandum to Jennifer Kadduck, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. October.

Pierce, M. 1996. Personal communication between Eastern Research Group, Inc., and Martha Pierce, Georgia Environmental Protection Division. June.

Sherman, R., R. Keenan, and D. Gunster. 1992. Reevaluation of dioxin bioconcentration and bioaccumulation factors for regulatory purposes. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health. 37:211-229.

Talbert, K. 1996. Personal communication between Eastern Research Group, Inc., and Ken Talbert, City of Macon Parks and Recreation Department. July.

Taylor. 1996. Personal communication between Eastern Research Group, Inc., and Jimmy Taylor. Macon-Bibb County Health Department. May.

ViroGroup. 1996. DNAPL/Groundwater corrective action plan, Southern Wood Piedmont/Central Georgia Railroad, Macon, Georgia, facility. ViroGroup. March.

PREPARER OF THE REPORT

William T. Going III, MPH
Environmental Health Scientist
Petition Response Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

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