Public Health Assessment Final Release VENTRON/VELSICOL SITE WOOD-RIDGE/CARLSTADT, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY EPA FACILITY ID: NJD980529879 Prepared by New Jersey Department of Health OCTOBER 4, 2016 Prepared under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Division of Community Health Investigations 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 Ventron/Velsicol Site Final Release PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT VENTRON/VELSICOL SITE WOOD-RIDGE/CARLSTADT, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY EPA FACILITY ID: NJD980529879 Prepared by: New Jersey Department of Health Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance Program Under Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Table of Contents Summary ............................................................................................................................ 1 Statement of Issues ............................................................................................................ 4 Background ....................................................................................................................... 4 Site Description ............................................................................................................... 4 Site History ..................................................................................................................... 5 Previous Investigations/Actions...................................................................................... 6 Site Visit.......................................................................................................................... 7 Demographics ................................................................................................................. 7 Past ATSDR and NJDOH Activities .............................................................................. 8 Environmental Contamination ........................................................................................ 9 Environmental Guideline Comparison ......................................................................... 10 Site Conditions .............................................................................................................. 11 On-site Contamination .................................................................................................. 12 Off-site Contamination ................................................................................................. 14 Contaminants of Potential Concern: Summary............................................................. 16 Discussion......................................................................................................................... 17 Assessment Methodology ............................................................................................. 17 Completed Pathways ..................................................................................................... 17 Potential Pathways ........................................................................................................ 19 Eliminated Pathways ..................................................................................................... 19 Exposure Point Concentration ...................................................................................... 20 Public Health Implications ............................................................................................. 20 Non-Cancer Health Effects ........................................................................................... 20 Incidental ingestion of contaminated soil and sediment from on-site areas ............. 21 Incidental ingestion of contaminated surface water from on-site areas .................... 27 Inhalation of on-site contaminated ambient air ........................................................ 28 Incidental ingestion of contaminated soil from off-site properties .......................... 28 Cancer Health Effects ................................................................................................... 29 Incidental ingestion of contaminated soil and sediment from on-site areas ............ 29 Incidental ingestion of contaminated surface water from on-site areas ................... 30 Child Health Considerations .......................................................................................... 31 Health Outcome Data ..................................................................................................... 31 i Public Comment .............................................................................................................. 32 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 32 Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 33 Public Health Action Plan .............................................................................................. 33 Public Health Actions Taken by NJDOH and ATSDR ................................................ 33 Public Health Actions Planned by NJDOH and ATSDR ............................................. 34 References ........................................................................................................................ 34 Report Preparation ......................................................................................................... 38 Tables Figures Photographs Appendix A: Toxicologic Summaries of Contaminants of Concern Appendix B: Sample Exposure Calculations Appendix C: Public Comments and Responses ii Summary Introduction On September 1, 1984 the Ventron/Velsicol site located in the boroughs of Wood-Ridge and Carlstadt, Bergen County, New Jersey was added to the National Priorities List. A mercury processing plant operated at the site from 1929 to 1974. Preliminary sampling results indicated that the soils, sediments, surface and groundwater were contaminated with organic compounds and metals including mercury. In October 2006, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) completed the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the 38-acre site, while further investigation and delineation of off-site contamination (for example, Berry’s Creek Study Area, or, BCSA1) has been ongoing. Through a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has prepared this Public Health Assessment (PHA) of the Ventron/Velsicol site. The ATSDR and NJDOH’s top priority at this site is to ensure that the community around the site has the best information possible to safeguard its health. Conclusions The NJDOH and ATSDR have reached three conclusions in this Public Health Assessment on the Ventron/Velsicol site: Conclusion 1 The NJDOH and ATSDR conclude that there are no current or future site- related exposures (i.e., from ingestion of on-site soil and surface water and inhalation of ambient air) to contaminants at the developed, undeveloped (i.e., USEPA’s Operable Unit 1) and off-site residential areas of the Ventron/Velsicol site that can harm people’s health. Basis for Contaminated soils at the on- (i.e., developed and undeveloped areas) and Conclusion off-site (i.e., residential homes located to the north of the site) areas have been excavated and/or capped. The excavated areas were backfilled with clean fill. An earlier health evaluation associated with incidental ingestion of contaminated soil from off-site areas (i.e., adjacent properties, municipal repair yard and wastewater treatment plant) did not indicate any