PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER
INDIAN HEAD DIVISION (NSWC-IHDIV)
(a/k/a INDIAN HEAD NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER)
INDIAN HEAD, CHARLES COUNTY, MARYLAND
CERCLIS NO. MD7170024684
January 2, 1998
Prepared by:
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND GLOSSARY
EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION, EXPOSURE PATHWAYS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS
I. Public Health Hazard: Exposure to Residential Sources of Lead
B. Fish in Mattawoman and Chicamuxen Creeks
III. No Public Health Hazard: Drinking Water Supply
Public Health Action Plan
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1. Summary of ATSDR's Public Health Conclusions for NSWC-IHDIV
TABLE 2. Public Health Hazard Situation: Residential Lead
TABLE 3. Potential Public Health Hazard Situation: Mercury in Buildings 101 and 102
TABLE 4a. No Apparent Public Health Hazard Situation: Fish Consumption
TABLE 4b. Potential Public Health Hazard Situation: Fish Consumption
TABLE 6. No Public Health Hazard: Drinking Water Supply
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Population and Housing Data; Census Tract Map
APPENDIX B: Summary of Site Evaluations
APPENDIX C: Public Health Assessment Conclusion Categories
APPENDIX E: ATSDR Public Health Statement on Mercury
ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND GLOSSARY
| adverse health effects | negative or unwanted effects on the health of an individual; for example, effects may include a specific illness or a general decrease in the overall health of a person |
| ATSDR | Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |
| aquifer | a geologic (rock) formation through which groundwater moves and that is capable of producing water in sufficient quantities for a well |
| bioaccumulation | the process by which plants or animals retain chemical pollutants in their tissues at levels greater than in the environment in which they live |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CERCLIS | Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Information System |
| conduit | a natural or artificial channel through which materials such as fluids are transported; for example, a water well |
| DOD | Department of Defense |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| groundwater | water beneath the earth's surface in the spaces between soil particles and in rock |
| ingestion | eating and drinking; for example, children eating lead paint chips or swallowing lead in dust due to chewing and sucking activity on hands and toys |
| HUD | Housing and Urban Development (Department of) |
| IRP | Installation Restoration Program (Department of Defense) |
| medical monitoring | a set of medical tests and physical exams specifically designed to
evaluate whether an individual is being exposed to a particular chemical at concentrations that could negatively affect that person's health |
| mercury vapor | mercury is a liquid metal that becomes an odorless, colorless gas (or vapor), which can be inhaled, at ordinary room temperatures |
| migration | moving from one location to another |
| mg/m3 | milligrams per cubic meter; a measure of the
concentration of a chemical in a known amount (a cubic
meter) of soil |
| mg/kg WW | milligrams per kilogram of wet weight; a measure of the
concentration of a chemical in a known amount (a kilogram) of
fish tissue which has not been dehydrated prior to making the
measurement. |
| munitions | explosive military items; for example, grenades and bombs |
| NPL | National Priorities List (of Superfund sites) |
| NSWC-IHDIV | Naval Surface Warfare Center - Indian Head Division |
| ordnance | military supplies; for example, weapons, ammunition and vehicles |
| propellants | explosives for forcing forward projectiles such as rockets |
| Pb | Lead |
| PbB | Lead in blood |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
| Remedial Investigation | the CERCLA process of determining the type and extent of hazardous material contamination at a site |
| solvent | a liquid capable of dissolving or dispersing another substance; for example, acetone or mineral spirits |
| surface water | water flowing in ditches, creeks, and rivers or standing in lakes and ponds |
| µg/dL | micrograms per deciliter; a measure of the concentration of a chemical in a known amount (deciliter) of liquid; for example, the concentration of lead in a blood sample |
