ATSDR - Metachem Site in New Castle, Del.

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Releases Final Health Assessment on Contamination Associated with the Metachem Site in New Castle, Del.

No Health Hazard to Residents

For Immediate Release: Oct. 8, 2003

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today released a final public health assessment (PHA) that investigated public health concerns associated with chemical contaminants from the Metachem Products LLC (Superfund) site in New Castle, Del.

ATSDR finds that people residing near the Metachem site are not currently being exposed to site-related contaminants at levels that could result in adverse health effects.

ATSDR's conclusions and recommendations are provided below.

Conclusions:

The site currently poses no apparent public health hazard for local residents because they are not exposed to chemicals on the site. It is unlikely that the public will come in contact with contaminated soil, sediment or ground water.
Until remedial activities at the site are completed, ATSDR recommends that on-site air monitoring continue and that workers continue to wear personal protective equipment as indicated by monitoring of site conditions.
Sufficient data are not available to determine if the site posed a past public health hazard during the two large spills that occurred on the site in the 1980s. The air might have contained contaminants at levels above the guidelines set by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
As specified in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Record of Decision, restrictions should be placed on the property deed to prevent future activities that would disturb any contaminated areas on the site where contaminants were left in place and capped as a remedial action to prevent future exposures. ATSDR also agrees with EPA that measures are needed to prevent the use of the Columbia aquifer near the site for drinking water.
The site will not pose a future public health hazard after remedial work at the site is completed and the recommendations listed below are implemented.
From the limited data available, the Oxychem ball field on the east side of the site is not contaminated with Metachem chemicals. ATSDR recommends that children at the ball field be closely supervised by adults to prevent children from entering contaminated areas of the site.

Recommendations:

State officials should periodically check to make sure that the signs are present warning the public not to eat fish from Red Lion Creek or the Delaware River.
Monitoring of air on the site and at the site perimeter should continue until the chemical products and other wastes are removed and while contaminated soil and sediment is excavated and treated.
Future samples should be taken in the ball field area to confirm it is not contaminated with site-related chemicals.

The assessment will be available for public review at the following repositories:

Site information and Restoration Branch
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
391 Lukens Dr.
New Castle, DE 19720

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III
Public Reading Room, 6th Floor
1650 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Delaware City Library
407 Clinton St.
Delaware City, DE 19706

Community members seeking information or a copy of the document may contact Community Involvement Specialist Youlanda Outin, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Lora Werner also may be contacted at 215-814-3141. Callers should refer to the Metachem site in New Castle, Del.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances. Established by Congress in 1980 under the Superfund law, ATSDR conducts public health assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned. Headquartered in Atlanta, ATSDR is staffed by more than 400 health professionals including epidemiologists, physicians, toxicologists, engineers and public health educators.

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Members of the news media may request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling Elaine McEachern or Jennifer Sarginson in the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs at 770-488-0700.

Back to ATSDR Home page

Updated by T Walker October 8, 2003
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
770-488-0700 or e-mail (news media)