Impacts on Oak Ridge Landowners of Off-Site Releases to the Environment from the Y-12 Plant and Associated Long-Term Stewardship Issues
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Impacts on Oak Ridge Landowners of Off-site Releases to the Environment from the Y-12 Plant and Associated Long-term Stewardship Issues BY INSTITUTE FORTECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL, AND POLICY AWARENESS, INC. IMPACTS ON OAK RIDGE LANDOWNERS OF OFF-SITE RELEASES TO THE ENVIRONMENT FROM THE Y-12 PLANT AND ASSOCIATED LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP ISSUES PERFORMED FOR INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL, AND POLICY AWARENESS, INC. PERFORMED BY KAPLINE ENTERPRISES, INC. SUSAN ARNOLD KAPLAN PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR MARCH 31, 2005 4121 Guinn Road Knoxville, TN 37931 Tel: (865) 927-3784 • Fax: (865) 927-1772 INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL, AND POLICY AWARENESS, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS i. TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................i ii. FOREWORD............................................................................................................... x iii. DEDICATION ...........................................................................................................xi iv. DISCLAIMER...........................................................................................................xii v. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................xiii vi. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................xix 1.0 SCOPE, PURPOSE, AND GOALS........................................................................... 1 1.1 SCOPE ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PURPOSE AND GOALS.............................................................................. 1 1.3 WHY THE STUDY WAS DONE................................................................. 2 1.3.1 CONFUSION IN THE COMMUNITY.......................................... 2 1.3.1.1 ABOUT THE CREEK...................................................... 2 1.3.1.2 ABOUT POTEN. HEALTH RISKS AND EFFECTS ..... 5 1.3.2 REVISITING THE 400 PPM MERCURY CLEANUP LEVEL ... 5 1.3.3 LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP.................................................... 9 1.3.4 BIG PICTURE PERSPECTIVE................................................... 11 2.0 REPORT HIGHLIGHTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS....................................... 12 3.0 OVERVIEW OF ISSUES IMPACTING PROPERTY OWNERS ......................... 14 3.1 THE “RELEASE” PROBLEM..................................................................... 14 3.2 THE “IMAGE” PROBLEM ........................................................................ 16 3.3 THE RESULTING “REAL ESTATE” PROBLEM.................................... 17 3.4 REAL ESTATE DISCLOSURE.................................................................. 18 3.5 ECONOMIC AND OTHER IMPACTS...................................................... 19 3.5.1 ECONOMIC................................................................................. 19 3.5.2 PUBLIC HEALTH ....................................................................... 20 3.6 EFPC IN PERSPECTIVE WITH OTHER URBAN CREEKS................... 21 4.0 PUBLIC HEALTH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES .............................................. 22 4.1 TIMELINE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES ......... 23 4.2 ATSDR STATEMENT OF MERCURY ISSUES ....................................... 33 4.3 HEALTH HAZARDS OF Y-12 CONTAMINANTS .................................. 35 4.3.1 MERCURY................................................................................... 35 4.3.1.1 POSSIBLE FORMS IN THE ENVIRONMENT ........... 35 4.3.1.2 ANIMAL STUDY RESULTS........................................ 35 4.3.1.3 KNOWN HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS ..................... 36 © ITSPA Rev.1 - 3/23/05 i INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL, AND POLICY AWARENESS, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) 4.3.1 MERCURY (CONT.) 4.3.1.4 HAZARDS OF FORMS FOUND IN THE EFPC FLOODPLAIN ............................................................... 37 4.3.1.4.1 1993 ATSDR HEALTH CONSULTATION..37 4.3.1.4.2 1995 ATSDR HEALTH CONSULTATION..38 4.3.1.5 EXPOSURE PATHWAYS ...........................................38 4.3.1.5.1 SOIL AND SEDIMENT................................. 39 4.3.1.5.2 FISH CONSUMPTION.................................. 39 4.3.1.5.3 FOOD CHAIN................................................ 40 4.3.1.6 EXPOSURE SCENARIOS AND EXPECTED RISK .. 40 4.3.1.6.1 PLAYING IN THE FLOODPLAIN............... 40 4.3.1.6.2 EATING FISH................................................ 41 4.3.1.6.3 INHALATION OF VAPOR FROM SOIL..... 42 4.3.1.7 DOSE CALCULATION EQUATIONS............. 42 4.3.2 URANIUM.................................................................................... 43 4.3.3 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs)............................. 44 4.3.4 BERYLLIUM................................................................................ 45 4.4 SAMPLING BASIS (MERCURY/PCBs) ................................................... 46 4.4.1 1985 HOUSEHOLD SURVEY AND HUMAN SAMPLING..... 46 4.4.1.1 PHASE I..........................................................................47 4.4.1.2 PHASE II........................................................................ 47 4.4.2 1997 WATTS BAR RESERVOIR AND CLINCH RIVER TURTLE SAMPLING SURVEY................................................. 47 4.4.3 1997 WATTS BAR EXPOSURE INVESTIGATION................. 48 4.4.4 DOE-FUNDED MONITORING AND SAMPLING................... 49 4.4.4.1 SOIL AND SEDIMENTS.............................................. 49 4.4.4.2 GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER ............ 50 4.4.4.3 AIR................................................................................. 50 4.5 EPA CONCERNS AND COMMENTS (Y-12 URANIUM PHA) .............. 50 4.5.1 CURRENT AND PAST EXPOSURES........................................ 51 4.5.2 EMPHASIS ON SCARBORO ALONE....................................... 56 4.5.3 TECHNICAL RIGOR .................................................................. 57 4.5.4 NEED FOR ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SAMPLING.......... 57 4.5.5 EPA’S PRESENTATION TO ORRHES...................................... 58 4.5.5.1 GENERAL COMMENTS............................................. 58 4.5.5.2 AIR PATHWAY............................................................ 59 4.5.5.3 SOIL/SEDIMENT PATHWAY.................................... 61 4.5.5.4 FISH/SURFACE WATER PATHWAY........................63 4.6 ATSDR’S STATED POSITION .................................................................. 65 4.7 DOE’S STATED POSITION ....................................................................... 65 5.0 IMPORTANT RELATED ISSUES.......................................................................... 66 5.1 WHAT’S THE MEANING OF “FREE USE” OF EFPC?.......................... 66 5.2 ON-GOING RELEASES TO EFPC............................................................ 67 © ITSPA Rev.1 - 3/23/05 ii INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL, AND POLICY AWARENESS, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT.) 5.0 IMPORTANT RELATED ISSUES (CONT.) 5.3 WHAT’S HAZARDOUS/WHAT’S CONTAMINATED?......................... 69 5.4 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST...................................................................... 69 5.5 DATA: QUESTIONABLE, CENSORED, CLASSIFIED/ RECLASSIFIED, OR LACK OF ............................................................... 70 5.5.1 LACK OF OR QUESTIONABLE DATA ................................... 70 5.5.1.1 LACK OF SOIL CORE SAMPLING AND SURFACE SMEAR DATA........................................... 71 5.5.1.2 QUESTIONABLE EFPC CORE SAMPLING DATA . 73 5.5.1.3 LACK OF DISEASE AND BIRTH DEFECTS REGISTRY DATA........................................................ 75 5.5.1.4 LACK OF COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS AND CONCERNS DOCUMENTATION .............................. 76 5.5.2 CENSORED OR CLASSIFIED/RECLASSIFIED DATA .......... 78 5.5.2.1 STEVE GOUGH INCIDENT........................................ 78 5.5.2.2 RECLASSIFIED SOIL SAMPLING DATA ................ 79 5.5.2.3 CENSUS TRACT AND EPA DATA............................ 79 5.6 LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.......................................................................... 79 5.6.1 THE CADMUS GROUP SURVEY ............................................. 79 5.6.2 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE REPORT................................. 80 5.7 LACK OF TRUST....................................................................................... 81 5.7.1 THE CADMUS GROUP SURVEY ............................................. 82 5.7.2 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE REPORT................................. 83 6.0 OVERVIEW OF IMPACTED/POTENTIALLY IMPACTED AREAS................. 84 6.1 OVERVIEW OF RELEASES ..................................................................... 84 6.1.1 OAK RIDGE.................................................................................. 84 6.1.2 OTHER.......................................................................................... 87 6.1.2.1 DOWNSTREAM AREAS............................................. 87 6.1.2.1.1 KINGSTON..................................................... 92 6.1.2.1.2 POPLAR CREEK............................................ 92 6.1.2.1.3 CLINCH RIVER.............................................. 92 6.1.2.2 KNOX COUNTY.......................................................... 93 6.2 REMEDIATED SITES................................................................................ 93 6.2.1 EFPC PROPERTIES (I.E., BRUNER SITE, INCLUDING94 CLARK AND STURM SITES) AND NOAA ............................. 94 6.2.2 CITY AND OTHER PROPERTIES............................................