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NPL Site Narrative for Halby Chemical Co.
HALBY CHEMICAL CO.
New Castle, Delaware
Federal Register Notice: June 10, 1986Conditions at proposal (September 18, 1985): Halby Chemical Co. was a manufacturing facility in New Castle, New Castle County, Delaware. Its primary product was ammonium thiocyanate. In the early 1970s, Witco Chemical Co. acquired the operation, then sold it to Brandywine Chemical Co. in 1977. Currently, Brandywine stores finished products for distribution on the site.
From the late 1940s to August 1977, a waste water lagoon was in use behind the plant near the Wilmington Marine Terminal in New Castle. The lagoon was approximately 2 feet deep, covered 1.5 acres, and drained into the Lobdell Canal and the Christina River.
High levels of various organic and inorganic substances, including trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, arsenic, cyanide, and lead, are present in water and sediment samples from the lagoon, according to EPA tests. EPA detected thiocyanate in the ground water underlying the site. Four municipal wells are part of an interconnected system that supplies approximately 150,000 people living 2 to 3 miles from the site.
Status (June 10, 1986): EPA emergency staff has assessed the site and determined that an immediate removal action is not warranted at this time.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.