ATSDR - PHA - Homestead Air Force Base, Dade County, Florida

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PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT

HOMESTEAD AIR FORCE BASE
HOMESTEAD, DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

CONCLUSIONS

ATSDR has drawn the following conclusions from current environmental data and information on Homestead AFB:

No exposure pathway currently exists or will exist in the future to contaminants in groundwater because groundwater is not and will not be used for drinking water.

Exposure to soil contamination is not likely to result in adverse human health effects because access to areas where contamination was detected was and is limited; furthermore, contaminants were detected at levels that do not pose a health hazard.

Exposure to surface water and sediment in the Boundary and Outfall Canals is not likely to result in adverse human health effects because contamination is at levels that do not pose a health hazard.

Occasional ingestion of contaminants in fish from the canal system is not likely to result in adverse human health effects. However, it is possible (though unlikely) that the ingestion of large quantities of fish (such as subsisting on canal fish) may be associated with adverse human health effects.

If it is indicated that people might be regularly exposed to bottom feeding fish such as catfish, additional sampling should be performed to collect and analyze one species of bottom feeding fish to more fully characterize contaminants in fish in the Boundary and Outfall Canals.

On the basis of information available on contaminants in groundwater, soil, surface water, sediment, and fish, ATSDR concludes that the Homestead AFB poses no apparent public health hazard.

PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION PLAN

The public health action plan (PHAP) for Homestead AFB contains a description of actions to be taken by ATSDR and/or other governmental agencies at and in the vicinity of the site subsequent to the completion of this public health assessment. The purpose of PHAP is to ensure that this public health assessment not only identifies public health hazards, but provides a plan of action designed to prevent adverse health effects that would result from any exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

Ongoing Actions

1. The Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management requires Homestead AFB to clean arsenic-contaminated soil to 15 ppm for industrial areas remaining with the Air Force and 10 ppm in industrial areas that will be parceled to other entities. Areas which exceed these requirements must have soil removal or containment.

Planned Actions

1. The findings of this public health assessment have been reviewed by the other Divisions of ATSDR to determine if any follow-up activities are recommended for Homestead AFB. The Division of Health Education and Promotion will determine if any health education activities are needed.

2. ATSDR recommends that no future drinking water wells are constructed in the east central portion of the base, where groundwater contamination was detected.

3. ATSDR recommends that representative bottom feeding fish species be sampled if it is indicated that people might be regularly ingesting this type of fish.

PREPARERS OF REPORT

Amanda D. Stoddard, MPH
Environmental Health Scientist
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

Gary Campbell, Ph.D.
Environmental Health Scientist
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

REFERENCES

Air Force. See Department of the Air Force.

ATSDR. 1991. Initial site scoping visit of Homestead Air Force Base. January 1991.

ATSDR. 1997a. Site summary of Homestead Air Force Base. July 1997.

ATSDR. 1997b. ATSDR record of activity for telephone communication with John Mitchell, Environmental Flight Chief, Homestead Air Reserve Base, regarding water well usage and Mystic and Phantom Lake recreational usage. November 24, 1997.

ATSDR. 1997c. ATSDR record of activity for telephone communication with Tom Bartol, Base Realignment and Closure Environmental Coordinator, Homestead Air Reserve Base, regarding Mystic and Phantom Lake recreational usage. November 24, 1997.

ATSDR. 1997d. ATSDR record of activity for telephone communication with James Carter, Engineer II, Metropolitan Dade County Environmental Resources Management, regarding arsenic and PAH cleanup goals for Homestead. December 9, 1997.

ATSDR. 1997e. ATSDR record of activity for telephone communication with John Mitchell, Environmental Flight Chief, Homestead Air Reserve Base, regarding water well usage. December 17, 1997.

ATSDR. 1997f. ATSDR record of activity for telephone communication with Joe Sekerke and Randy Merchant at the Florida Department of Health regarding ingestion advisories for contaminants in fish. December 18, 1997.

Department of the Air Force. 1993. Basewide environmental baseline survey, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. December 1993.

Department of the Air Force. 1998. Comments received from John B. Mitchell, January 23, 1998.

Geraghty & Miller, Inc. 1991. Final community relations plan, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. September 1991.

Geraghty & Miller, Inc. 1994a. Draft final remedial investigation report addendum for Site FT-5, Fire Protection Training Area No. 2 (Former Site FPTA-2), Homestead AFB, Florida. Volume I of XIV. March 1994.

Geraghty & Miller. 1994b. Draft final remedial investigation report addendum for Site OT-11, Residual Pesticide Disposal Area (Former Site P-3), Homestead AFT, Florida. April 1994.

Montgomery Watson. 1993. Draft remedial investigation report addendum for Site SS-13, PCB Spill Area, Civil Engineering Storage Compound, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. Metairie, Louisiana. August 1993.

Montgomery Watson. 1994a. Draft final remedial investigation report addendum for Site SS-8, Motor Pool Oil Leak Area, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. Metairie, Louisiana. April 1994.

Montgomery Watson. 1994b. Draft final remedial investigation report addendum for Site SS-3, Aircraft Washrack, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. Metairie, Louisiana. March 1994.

Montgomery Watson. 1996a. Final remedial investigation report addendum for Operable Unit 8/Site FT-4, Fire Protection Training Area No. 3, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. May 1996.

Montgomery Watson. 1996b. Final risk assessment report for Operable Unit 8/Site FT-4, Fire Protection Training Area No. 3, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. May 1996.

Montgomery Watson. 1996c. Final remedial investigation report addendum for Operable Unit 7/Site SS-7, Entomology Storage Area, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. May 1996.

Montgomery Watson. 1996d. Final risk assessment report for Operable Unit 7/Site SS-7, Entomology Storage Area, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. May 1996.

Montgomery Watson. 1996e. Final remedial investigation report addendum for Operable Unit 5/Site WP-1, Electroplating Waste Disposal Area, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. October 1996.

Montgomery Watson. 1996f. Final risk assessment report for Operable Unit 5/Site WP-1, Electroplating Waste Disposal Area, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. October 1996.

Montgomery Watson. 1996g. Draft final extended site investigation and preliminary risk evaluation report for Sites OU 10, OU 11, OU 12, OU 13, and OU 14, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. St. Rose, Louisiana. December 1996.

OHM Remediation Services Corp. 1996. Site SS-15b Flightline Pumphouses contamination assessment addendum and IRA report, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Dade County, Florida. Volumes I and II. AFCEE Contract No. F41624-94-D-8106, Delivery Order No. 0008, FDEP No. 138521996. May 1996.

Versar, Inc. 1996. Unites States Air Force Installation Restoration Program (IRP) final preliminary assessment/site investigation, Building 153 Site (Operable Unit 15). Miami, Florida. October 1996.

Versar, Inc. 1997a. Final Homestead Air Reserve Base Installation Restoration Program (IRP) technical report, preliminary assessment/site investigation, Structure 898 Site (Operable Unit 16). Miami, Florida. July 1997.

Versar, Inc. 1997b. Final Homestead Air Reserve Base Installation Restoration Program (IRP) technical report, preliminary assessment/site investigation, Building 793 Site (Operable Unit 17). Miami, Florida. July 1997.

Woodward-Clyde. 1995. Final OU-9 remedial investigation, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. November 1995.

Woodward-Clyde. 1996. Supplemental investigation of the Outfall Canal, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. March 1996.

Woodward-Clyde. 1997a. Draft final site investigation: AOC 1, AOC 3, AOC 5, OU 19, OUs 20/21, OU 25, and O/WS 206, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. January 1997.

Woodward-Clyde 1997b. Draft remedial investigation/baseline risk assessment: OU 18, OU 22, OU 26, OU 27, OU 28, OU 29, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. Volumes I and II of V. February 1997.

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