And Buena Vista Mines, San Luis Obispo County, California
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Public Health Assessment Final Release KLAU AND BUENA VISTA MINES SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA EPA FACILITY ID: CA1141190578 Prepared by the California Department of Public Health APRIL 1, 2010 Prepared under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Division of Health Assessment and Consultation Atlanta, Georgia 30333 THE ATSDR PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT: A NOTE OF EXPLANATION This Public Health Assessment was prepared by ATSDR’s Cooperative Agreement Partner pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) section 104 (i)(6) (42 U.S.C. 9604 (i)(6)), and in accordance with our implementing regulations (42 C.F.R. Part 90). In preparing this document, ATSDR’s Cooperative Agreement Partner has collected relevant health data, environmental data, and community health concerns from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and local health and environmental agencies, the community, and potentially responsible parties, where appropriate. In addition, this document has previously been provided to EPA and the affected states in an initial release, as required by CERCLA section 104 (i)(6)(H) for their information and review. The revised document was released for a 30-day public comment period. Subsequent to the public comment period, ATSDR’s Cooperative Agreement Partner addressed all public comments and revised or appended the document as appropriate. The public health assessment has now been reissued. This concludes the public health assessment process for this site, unless additional information is obtained by ATSDR’s Cooperative Agreement Partner which, in the agency’s opinion, indicates a need to revise or append the conclusions previously issued. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additional copies of this report are available from: National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia (703) 605-6000 You May Contact ATSDR Toll Free at 1-800-CDC-INFO or Visit our Home Page at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov Klau and Buena Vista Mines Final Release PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT KLAU AND BUENA VISTA MINES SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA EPA FACILITY ID: CA1141190578 Prepared by: California Department of Public Health Under Cooperative Agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Table of Contents List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................ 1 Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Background and Statement of Issues .............................................................................................. 7 Site Description ........................................................................................................................... 7 Site History.................................................................................................................................. 7 Extraction/Processing ................................................................................................................ 10 Waste Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 11 Watershed .................................................................................................................................. 11 Lake Nacimiento ....................................................................................................................... 12 Fish ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Site Visit .................................................................................................................................... 13 Demographics ............................................................................................................................ 14 Land Use.................................................................................................................................... 14 Environmental Contamination/Pathway Analysis/Toxicological Evaluation .............................. 15 Description of Toxicological Evaluation ................................................................................... 15 Environmental and Health Screening Criteria ........................................................................... 16 Discussion of Environmental Contamination, Exposure Pathways, and Toxicological Evaluation ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 Evaluation of Exposure to On-Site Soil Since the Klau and Buena Vista Mines Have Been Closed (Past, Current, and Future) ............................................................................................ 19 Resident/Caretaker ................................................................................................................. 20 Trespasser............................................................................................................................... 21 Breathing Dust Particles from Roads Constructed with Mine Tailings (Past, Current, and Future) ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Exposure from Breathing Elemental Mercury Vapors (Past, Current, and Future) .................. 23 Swimming or Wading in Creeks and Streams Near the Mines (Past, Current, and Future) ..... 25 Past Exposure (1994-2007) .................................................................................................... 26 Current Exposure ................................................................................................................... 27 Exposure to Contaminated Drinking Groundwater (Past, Current, and Future) ....................... 27 Private Wells .......................................................................................................................... 28 Public Water Systems/Private Water Purveyors Around Lake Nacimiento .......................... 28 Eating Fish from Lake Nacimiento, Harcourt Reservoir, and BLM Reservoir (Past, Current, and Future)................................................................................................................................. 29 Lake Nacimiento .................................................................................................................... 30 BLM Reservoir....................................................................................................................... 31 Harcourt Reservoir ................................................................................................................. 32 Exposure to Mercury-Contaminated Dust from Sediment when Lake Nacimiento Water Levels Are Low..................................................................................................................................... 32 Community Health Concerns/Health Concerns Evaluation ......................................................... 33 Introduction and Purpose........................................................................................................... 33 Background Information ........................................................................................................... 33 Process for Gathering Community Health Concerns ................................................................ 33 Community Health Concerns and Health Concerns Evaluation ............................................... 34 Concerns about Exposure to Mercury via Fish Consumption ............................................... 34 i Concerns about Exposure to Mercury in Mine Tailings Used on Roads ............................... 34 Concerns about Past and Current Exposure to Mercury in Surface and Groundwater .......... 35 Concerns about Animals and Mercury Exposure ................................................................... 35 Child Health Considerations......................................................................................................... 36 Limitations of the Exposure Evaluation ....................................................................................... 36 Environmental Data ................................................................................................................... 36 Exposure Assessment ................................................................................................................ 36 Contaminant Toxicity ................................................................................................................ 37 Interaction of Chemicals ............................................................................................................ 37 Health Outcome Data .................................................................................................................... 37 Conclusions................................................................................................................................... 38 Recommendations for Further 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