PETITIONED PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
CALLERY CHEMICAL COMPANY
EVANS CITY, BUTLER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Environmental sampling data are limited for this site. During the site visit and in the EPA Draft Phase II site review, 66 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and six Areas of Concern (AOC) were identified as areas of potential contamination and release of hazardous waste or waste (1). The areas identified and targeted for RCRA Phase II sampling included: container storage areas, ponds, drains, sewers, treatment areas, open burning and detonation areas, incinerators, short-terms storage areas, and leak/spill areas. The decisions for recommending subsequent soil, air, groundwater, or surface water sampling were based on the structural integrity of the unit, a history of a release, visual evidence of contamination, or type of waste treated. Environmental sampling of potentially contaminated media is necessary to further evaluate exposures and potential health effects.
Soil/Subsurface Soil Gas/Sediment
Potential contamination of soil may have occurred in the past and present from leaky sewer lines, spills, decayed treatment units, and unknown contamination from potentially hazardous waste. The areas considered for sampling included:Treatment Area Trench and Sump (Unit 4), Building 38 Floor Trenches and Drains (Unit 8), Building 38 Rinse Tank (Unit 9), Acid Sewer Line (Unit 17), Caustic Sewer Line (Unit 18), Sanitary/Acid Line (Unit 19), Former Sewer Lines (Unit 21), Trickling Filter/Sludge Drying Beds (Unit 33), Former Acid Pond No. 1(Unit 34), Former Caustic Pond No. 1 (Unit 35) and No. 2 (Unit 36), Cooling Pond (Former Acid Pond No. 2) (Unit 37), nHC Sumps (Unit 42), Abandoned Drum Storage Area (Unit 45), Waste pile No. 1, Large Landfill (Unit 57), Former Small Landfill (Unit 58), and Open Burning Areas (Unit 60).
Potential contamination may have occurred in the past and present because of leaky sewer lines, spills, faulty treatment unit, and unknown potential contamination due to the type of potentially hazardous waste treated. The Sanitary/Acid Line (Unit 19), Former Sewer Lines (Unit 21), and the Former Small Landfill (Unit 58) represent a potential source for the generation of subsurface gas from the type of organic waste managed and the integrity of the pipes. Soil sampling was recommended for these areas to include metals, volatile, and semi-volatile contaminants.
The units that were proposed for future soil sampling included the Treatment Area Trench and Sump (SWMU 4), Building 38, Floor Trenches and Drains (SWMU 8), Building 38 Rinse Tank, Acid Sewer Line (SWMU 17), Caustic Sewer Line (SWMU 18), Sanitary Acid Line (SWMU 19), Former Sewer Lines (SWMU 21), Trickling Filter/Sludge Drying Beds (Unit 33), Former Acid Pond No. 1 (Unit 34), Former Caustic Pond No. 1 (Unit 35) and No. 2 (Unit 36), Cooling Pond (Former Acid Pond No. 2) (Unit 37), Abandoned Drum Storage Area (Unit 45), Wastepile No. 1, Large Landfill (Unit 57), Former Small Landfill (Unit 58), and Open Burning Areas (Unit 60). Other areas of concern included the areas where the Fuel Oil Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), Gasoline USTs, Pentane and Acetone USTs, and above ground n-hexyl carborane (nHC) Tanks were located in the past or are currently located. In addition the RFA recommended soil sampling in areas where reported or apparent spills and leaks had occurred in the past or currently represent a potential hazard.
No sampling data were available to determine the potential type and concentration of contaminants present in the soil and sediment near the points of release of waste from Callery Chemical to Breakneck Creek. Therefore, ATSDR could not evaluate the soil and sediment for past, current, and future exposures and could not determine the public health implications.
Potential contamination of groundwater may have occurred in the past and present from leaky sewer lines, spills, faulty treatment unit, and unknown potential contamination from potentially treated hazardous waste (1). The areas considered for future sampling included Treatment Area Trench and Sump (Unit 4), Building 38 Floor Trenches and Drains (Unit 8), Building 38 Rinse Tank (Unit 9), Acid Sewer Line (17), Caustic Sewer Line (Unit 18), Sanitary/Acid Line (Unit 19), Former Sewer Lines (Unit 21), Trickling Filter/Sludge Drying Beds (Unit 33), Former Acid Pond No. 1 (Unit 34), Former Caustic Pond No. 1 (Unit 35) and No. 2 (Unit 36), Cooling Pond (Former Acid Pond No. 2) (Unit 37), nHC Sumps (Unit 42), Large Landfill (Unit 57), and the Former Small Landfill (Unit 58).
Potential contamination of surface water may have occurred in the past and present from leaky sewer lines, spills, faulty treatment unit, and unknown potential contamination from the type of potentially hazardous waste treated. In the past, the Acid Sewer Lines (Unit 17), Caustic Sewer Line (Unit 18), Sanitary/Acid Line (Unit 19), Storm Sewer System (Unit 22), and the Large Landfill (Unit 57) have leaked and overflowed waste into Breakneck Creek. Ponds Nos. 1 and 2 (Unit 29) were permitted to release treated waste waters into Breakneck Creek.
According to the Draft Phase II RCRA Facility Assessment of the Callery site for the EPA (1), the potential for contaminant release to the air during operation of the Potassium Column Scrubber, Large and Small Paint Booths in Building 74, Shot-blasting Unit Dust Collector (Unit 12), Incinerator and Flare, Thermal Treatment Unit (Unit 59), and the Open Burning Areas (Unit 60) may have been high in the past. However, no data are available to evaluate this exposure pathway.
HEALTH OUTCOME DATA EVALUATION
ATSDR defines five steps in an exposure pathway that are likely to occur in order for a population to become at risk for developing adverse health effects. These include the presence of a contaminated source, contaminated environmental media (soil, sediment, water, air, biota), a point of exposure (media), an exposure route (ingestion, inhalation, dermal contact), and the presence of a receptor population receiving a dose at a level where health effects may be realized. A person who is exposed to a contaminant may not necessarily develop a disease or ill health effects. The type of contaminant, the amount received into the body (dose), and how the body reacts will influence disease development. In addition, several other factors may determine whether disease occurs or not and include the age, race, sex, genetics, diet, and other life-style factors of an individual. For some diseases, a period of time (20-30 years) may occur between when the individual was exposed to a contaminant and develops the disease. This period of time is termed the "latency period." The development of many cancers involves this latency period. In addition, it is rare that a causal relationship can be determined between exposure to a contaminant and adverse health effects. Usually many factors are involved in the development of a disease, and often not all these factors are known for a population.
Health outcome data refer to the rates or incidence (number of cases reported over a period of time) of certain illnesses such as cancers, miscarriages, stillbirths, and birth defects that are recorded by state and federal agencies. They reflect the health trends in a population and help to identify any unusual increases in a disease. Physicians and hospitals are obligated by law to report certain cases of illness to the Office of Public Health, Section of Vital Records, State Tumor Registries, or some other database. The Cancer or Tumor Registry collects information on the occurrence of disease development in a population (morbidity) or the number of deaths that have occurred from a disease (mortality). The registry separates cancers into different categories such as skin, liver, gallbladder, colon, and so forth, defined by the cell type that is affected. Depending on the type and availability of the data, the rate of specific cancers can be determined for the entire United States, a particular state, county, or city. Often health statistics can only be obtained at the county level and may not reflect the health trends in a small population surrounding a particular contaminated site.
In 1996, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, evaluated the risk of communities living in southwestern Butler County developing cancer (2, 3, 4, 5). Cancer cases reported to the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry (PCR) after September 1984 were used for the analysis. The number of cancer cases reported in this community or the "observed" number of cases were compared with the "expected" number of cases for the period 1988 through 1992. The expected number of cases were calculated by multiplying the number of persons in Butler County by the cancer incidence rates established for the State of Pennsylvania. This standard incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated for both males and females of all age groups. Information was not available for confirmed cancer cases diagnosed before September 1984. The incidence rates for all types of cancers including cancer of the brain and central nervous system were reviewed. While differences in the incidence rates were found, they were not considered to be significant and the increase may be due to sampling or reporting error. Only the incidence of breast cancer reported in southwestern Butler County was observed to be elevated above the expected number of cases. No increase from the expected incidence of brain cancer was observed during that period in the southwestern Butler County community. To date, a causal relationship between exposure to environmental contaminants and the incidence of brain cancers has not been established. Additionally, the knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the development of a cancerous cell and tumor proliferation is complex and incomplete.
DISCUSSION OF COMMUNITY HEALTH CONCERNS
In evaluating the health of a specific population living near a contaminated area, a plausible completed pathway of exposure should be defined, the toxicity of chemicals present evaluated, and the community's health concerns addressed. The community surrounding the Callery Chemical site expressed concern regarding a perceived increase in the incidence of brain cancers that may be associated with potential boron exposure from the site. No increase in the incidence of brain cancer was observed in the southwestern Butler County community. Only breast cancer was found to be significantly elevated in southwestern Butler County. Data are not yet available to fully characterize this site for contaminants and to adequately define a completed pathway for off-site exposure. Once this information becomes available, ATSDR will reevaluate the potential exposures to chemicals that may result in adverse health conditions.
ATSDR recognizes that children are different from adults when exposed to contamination in their water, soil, air, or food. Children are at greater risk than adults from certain kinds of exposure to hazardous substances emitted from waste sites and emergency events. They are more likely to be exposed for several reasons. First, children play outside more often than adults, increasing the likelihood that they will come into contact with chemicals in the environment. Because they are shorter than adults they breathe more dust, soil, and heavy vapors close to the ground. Children are also smaller, resulting in higher doses of chemical exposure per body weight. The developing body systems of children can sustain damage if toxic exposures occur during certain growth stages. Data are not available to fully characterize this site for contaminants and to adequately define a completed pathway for off-site exposures to children. However, when data become available for review, ATSDR will evaluate the likelihood of children living near the Callery Chemical site being exposed to contaminants at levels of health concern.
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