Public Health Assessment Final Release Evaluation of Environmental Concerns Related to the Shpack Landfill Superfund Site SHPACK LANDFILL NORTON AND ATTLEBORO, BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS EPA FACILITY ID: MAD980503973 Prepared by Massachusetts Department of Public Health APRIL 7, 2014 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 60-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 Shpack Landfill Superfund Site Final Release PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT Evaluation of Environmental Concerns Related to the Shpack Landfill Superfund Site SHPACK LANDFILL NORTON AND ATTLEBORO, BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS EPA FACILITY ID: MAD980503973 Prepared by: Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau Environmental Health Community Assessment Program Under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Table of Contents I. SUMMARY................................................................................................................ 1 II. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 4 III. OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 5 IV. BACKGROUND AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS .......... 6 V. REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING DATA........................................ 10 A. Drinking Water ................................................................................................. 14 B. Soil .................................................................................................................... 20 C. Sediment ........................................................................................................... 26 D. Surface Water .................................................................................................... 30 E. Air ..................................................................................................................... 34 VI. EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL EXPOSURE PATHWAYS ............................... 35 A. Exposure to Contaminants in Drinking Water .................................................. 36 B. Exposure to Contaminants in Soil..................................................................... 47 C. Exposure to Sediment ....................................................................................... 53 D. Exposure to Surface Water ............................................................................... 59 E. Exposure to Indoor/Ambient Air ...................................................................... 60 VII. DISCUSSION........................................................................................................... 64 VIII.LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................... 66 IX. CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................... 67 X. RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................... 68 XI. PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION PLAN........................................................................ 69 XII. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 71 XIII.REPORT PREPARATION....................................................................................... 79 ii Figures............................................................................................................................... 80 Tables ................................................................................................................................ 85 Appendix A ..................................................................................................................... 102 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................... 119 Public Health Fact Sheet on Radon ................................................................................ 122 List of Figures Figure 1: Location of Shpack Landfill Figure 2: Location of Census Tracts in Norton and Attleboro, Masschusetts Figure 3: U.S. Army Corps Phased Excavation at Shpack Landfill Site Figure 4: Layout and Sampling Locations at Shpack Landfill Site List of Tables Table 1: Summary of Possible Exposure Pathways for the Shpack Landfill, Norton and Attleboro, Massachusetts Table 2a: Maximum concentrations of contaminants detected in residential well water at homes near the Shpack Landfill that exceeded comparison values Table 2b: Maximum concentrations of contaminants detected in residential well water at Former Shpack Residence (68 Union Road) that exceeded comparison values Table 2c: Exceedances of Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) in residential well water by sampling period Table 3a: Maximum concentrations of contaminants detected in soil samples in the vicinity of the Shpack Landfill that exceeded comparison values Table 3b: Maximum concentrations of contaminants detected in soil samples taken offsite at the Former Shpack Residence that exceeded comparison values Table 4: Maximum concentrations of contaminants detected in sediment near the Shpack Landfill that exceeded comparison values Table 5: Maximum concentrations of contaminants detected in surface water near the Shpack Landfill that exceeded comparison values Table 6: Modeled concentrations of contaminants in indoor air that exceeded USEPA target groundwater concentrations in the vicinity of the Shpack Landfill iii List of Abbreviations ACS American Cancer Society ALI Attleboro Landfill Incorporated. ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry BEH Bureau of Environmental Health CAP Community Assessment Program CEL Cancer Effect Level CI Confidence Interval CREG Cancer Risk Evaluation Guide CT Census Tract DOC Department of Commerce EMEG Environmental Media Evaluation Guide GIS Geographic Information System HC Health Consultation IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer ICRP International Commission on Radiological Protection LOAEL Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level LTHA Lifetime Health Advisory MG/KG Milligrams per Kilogram MTBE Methyl Tert Butyl Ether MCL Maximum Contaminant Level MCR Massachusetts Cancer Registry MDEP Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection MDPH Massachusetts Department of Public Health MRL Minimal Risk Level mSv Millisievert NTP National Toxicology Program NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyls PAH Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons pCi/L Picocuries Per Liter PPB Parts Per Billion PPM Parts Per Million RMEG Reference Dose Media Evaluation Guide ROD Record of Decision SIR Standardized Incidence Ratio SVOC Semi-Volatile Organic Compound TCE Trichloroethylene TEQ Toxicity Equivalents UG/M Micrograms per Meter USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USGS United States Geological Survey VOC Volatile Organic Compound iv I. SUMMARY ________________________________________________________________________ Introduction: This public health assessment was conducted because ATSDR is required to conduct health assessment activities for all sites that are on or proposed for the National Priorities List (NPL) and because residents of the communities of Norton and Attleboro, Massachusetts have been concerned about environmental contaminants, including chemical and radioactive waste, at the Shpack Landfill Superfund Site. The top priority of ATSDR/MDPH is to ensure that the community has the best information