North Carolina: EQ not responsible for Apex contamination

Environmental testing has turned up widespread chemical contamination in Apex, N.C., but state officials say the pollution is not related to last month's fire at a hazardous materials handling facility in the Wake County town 15 miles southwest of Raleigh.

The pollution found is just the ubiquitous toxic residue of our times, they say.

"What we were looking for was any indication that homes or businesses might have been contaminated with heavy metals or other chemicals from the fire that could present a health risk to Apex citizens," says Robin Smith, assistant secretary for the environment at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in a Nov. 17 press release. "We didn't find that. We found the kind of thing you would find at low levels in any urban area."

But at the same time, DENR acknowledges that at least some of the contamination found in soil collected from neighborhoods around the plant appears to have possibly originated at the EQ facility. In addition, some of the pollution -- including toxic metals and solvents that EQ stored on-site -- were detected at levels that exceed health-based guidelines, thus posing a long-term risk to human well-being.

According to a report DENR released last week, tests conducted on 37 soil samples collected by its Division of Waste Management after the Oct. 5 blaze turned up toxic metals, solvents and benzene compounds at levels exceeding at least one of three regulatory limits set to protect human health: North Carolina's Soil Screening Level (SSL), EPA Region 9 Preliminary Remediation Goal (PRG) for Residential Soil, and EPA Region 4 PRG for Residential Soil. This is how the report describes those limits:

North Carolina Soil Screening Levels are calculated to be protective of groundwater. They reflect the levels for each chemical at which the chemical would have the potential to migrate through the soil and contaminate groundwater. The Soil Screening Levels are calculated by multiplying the North Carolina groundwater standards by soil fate and transport factors. EPA Region 9 Residential Soil Preliminary Remediation Goals (PRGs) are levels in soil protective of human health based on typical homeowner exposure to soil. They are calculated for a residential exposure of 350 days/year for 30 years. The EPA Region 4 PRG for arsenic is based on a noncancer endpoint and is protective of childhood exposure scenarios.

The tests found a dozen chemicals exceeding at least one of these limits. Among them were the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, chromium, manganese, mercury and silver, along with tetrachloroethylene, a dry-cleaning solvent. In an inventory released after the fire, the facility reported having all of those chemicals onsite, except for manganese. However, EQ's permit did include a manganese-containing pesticide, bis(dimethylcarbamodithioato-S,S')-manganese.

The soil tests also turned up elevated levels of bromodichloromethane, a substance used mostly in labs and chemical manufacturing, as well as the following polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been linked to cancer in humans: benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthacene, and dibenzo[a,h]anthracenindeno(1,2,3,c,d)pyrene.

Every soil sample taken contained arsenic, with three of them containing the toxic metal at levels elevated beyond the regulatory guidelines considered. However, the study noted other potential arsenic sources on those properties, including treated wood decking and an automobile repair shop. (DWM's report does not explain why it took samples from spots with other obvious sources of contamination.) Noting that the overall distribution of arsenic "does not suggest dispersal from a point source centered on the EQ facility," DENR suggests that the widespread low-level contamination may be related to arsenic-based pesticides used in the area's once-booming tobacco farming industry.

Mercury was also found in 36 of the 37 samples. All of the samples exceeded North Carolina's SSL, though they were still within what the EPA considers the "naturally occurring" range. The tests also found several mercury "hotspots" exceeding the guidelines. However, one of those hotspots was near an auto maintenance and storage business, and the report notes that mercury is present in many car components including switches, anti-lock breaking systems and high-intensity headlamps.

State regulators conclude that the metal, tetrachloroethylene and bromodichloromethane pollution did not originate from EQ due to the distribution pattern, which does not appear to be centered on the facility. They also say that the source of the PAHs is "inconclusive" even though the compounds' distribution does suggest they may have come from EQ:

The samples demonstrating regulatory exceedances in soils are located in a general downwind direction from the EQ facility. However, there are other potential sources (i.e. automotive repair, landscape activities) for PAHs at each of the sampling sites. Additional sampling may be warranted to clarify the distribution and potential source(s) of these compounds.

Last week DENR also released the results of wipe tests, which collected residues from the exterior and interior of buildings in the vicinity of the EQ facility and tested them for contaminants.

The exterior wipe tests found a number of metals in the 72 samples collected, but none at concentrations exceeding health-based screening levels. The largest percentage was for one sample of lead, which was 53 percent of the screening level. Cyanides were not detected in any of the exterior wipe samples. One PAH was detected in each of eight wipe samples, but at very low concentrations.

DENR also collected wipe samples inside buildings from various horizontal surfaces, excluding floors. The interior wipe tests turned up one older home with elevated lead levels, but the agency concludes that it's likely due to lead-based paint. State health and town officials are doing a follow-up investigation of that home to confirm the source of the lead, according to the report.

The agency's off-site testing did not include dioxins, which are a contaminant of concern whenever there is a fire at a facility that -- like EQ did -- stores chlorinated compounds. However, an Oct. 30 DENR situation report did note that testing for dioxins was being done on the ash and other materials on-site, though results from those tests have not yet been released.

'A park plan only a bunch of developers could love'

That's how Bob Geary describes the Urban Land Institute's proposal for the Dorothea Dix Hospital property near downtown Raleigh in this week's Independent. The ULI recommends developing a third of the available 300 acres for residential use.

ULI -- a nonprofit think tank affiliated with the for-profit real-estate development industry -- was paid for its advice by the Dorothea Dix Property Study Commission. The think tank came up with its recommendation for Dix despite a poll taken earlier this year that found almost two-thirds of Wake County voters want all the land to be set aside for a park.

Riverkeeper Film Festival in Raleigh This Saturday

If you enjoy film or puppetry and care about the environment, the Neuse River Foundation has just the ticket for you this Saturday, Nov. 11. That evening the group offers the second annual Neuse Riverkeeper Film Festival, featuring an environmentally conscious puppet show followed by screenings of more than a dozen documentary and independent films exploring the profound but sometimes troubled relationship between man and water.

The festivities get underway at 5 p.m. on the plaza between North Carolina's Museum of Natural Sciences and Museum of History with a live performance called "Crawdad's Conundrum" by Paperhand Puppet Intervention. The troupe uses giant figures crafted from scraps to create shows dedicated to "undermining, and eventually, eradicating the institutions of greed, hate, and fear that plague the world in myriad forms." Last year the Independent Weekly honored the group with an Indies Arts Award, writing:

From demonstrations at George W. Bush's inauguration to World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, Paperhand Puppet Intervention has helped raise awareness, instill a sense of wonder and defuse potentially disastrous situations--often all at the same time. The most frequent cast of characters brought to demonstrations are the Caribou, who educate onlookers about environmental issues. As with all interventions, the theme and combination of puppets is flexible, and no performance is exactly the same.

After the puppet show and parade, the films roll at 6:30 inside both museums. (Click here for a schedule.) Two of the showings will be followed by discussions with the filmmakers: N.C. State students Laurie Barnes, Jenny James and Roselyn Whitney will be on hand to talk about "Too Big for Our Ditches," a video they made for professor Dr. JoAnn Burkholder's Environmental Issues in Aquatic Ecology course on the river's pollution problems and efforts to protect the waterway, and Charles Clemmons will answer questions about "River Lab," his film about a Connecticut program that educates schoolchildren about river ecology.

There will be a special program starting at 8:10 p.m. inside the Museum of History, with the Neuse Riverkeepers talking about their work. They will also share images from their recent journey down the river, which starts northwest of Durham and drains land in 19 North Carolina counties before emptying into Pamlico Sound.

You can purchase festival passes online in advance or at the door, which opens Saturday at 4 p.m. Passes for the entire festival cost $10, while tickets for the puppet show alone are $5. There will be snacks available -- hot dogs outside on the plaza, and coffee and pastry in the Museum of History. For more information, contact NRF's Jacqueline Murphy Miller at jackie.nrf@att.net or 919-856-1180.

On Tuesday, remember the environment

With elections coming up on Tuesday, it's time for concerned citizens to make up our minds about who we want to represent our interests for the next several years. There are so many issues vying for our attention -- the war in Iraq, the economy, health care.

And then there's the environment.

Has there ever been a more important time to think about ecological issues as we cast our ballots? Just today we learned that heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere reached a record high in 2005 and are still increasing, while the world's oceans may be devoid of fish by 2048.

Here in the Triangle, we recently discovered that we may be living near dangerous hazmat storage facilities without even knowing it. We also find ourselves at the center of a debate over our nation's energy future, with local utilities pushing to build new nuclear power plants despite serious security concerns while more sustainable alternatives struggle for public support.

Fortunately, there are organizations helping us to make smarter choices for the earth and the well being of future generations.

The Conservation Council of North Carolina's Conservation PAC has released its 2006 Legislative Scorecard, which evaluates current state legislators' voting records on environmental issues. CPAC has also made endorsements for current legislative races. In addition, the N.C. Sierra Club has made endorsements for state legislative races.

Environment North Carolina has asked candidates for Congress and the N.C. General Assembly to commit to support policies for a new energy future. That involves reducing dependence on oil, harnessing more renewable energy, promoting energy efficiency and investing in clean energy development efforts. The organization has posted a list of the candidates who have endorsed the platform to its Web site.

Another terrific resource for information about the candidates -- including those running for local offices -- is the Independent Weekly. The paper has posted to its Web site not only its own endorsements but also candidates' completed questionnaires, allowing readers to make up their own minds about critical issues, including some that relate to the environment. In addition, reporter Kirk Ross has a helpful story in this week's issue about the relatively obscure -- but still environmentally important -- races for Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors.

On the federal level, the League of Conservation Voters offers its endorsements for congressional candidates, though it does not make any recommendations this year for Triangle-area races. The national Sierra Club, however, does make some recommendations for congressional races in the Triangle.

If anyone knows of any other resources for environmentally minded voters that I may have missed, please drop me an e-mail at suesturgis[at]raleigheconews.com.

Raleigh Pesticide Safety Advocate Featured in Grist Magazine

Billie Karel, program coordinator at the Pesticide Education Project in Raleigh, answers questions today from readers of Grist, an online environmental magazine known for its irreverent approach to weighty issues. Karel's appearance comes as PESTed celebrates 20 years of working for pesticide safety reform and environmental justice in North Carolina. The nonprofit held a party to celebrate its work earlier this month at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City, N.C.; click here for photos of the event.

PESTed recently won a big victory at the state legislature, securing passage of the School Children's Health Act. The law requires North Carolina's public schools to reduce their use of toxic chemical pesticides by switching to a less harmful approach known as "integrated pest management." As Karel told Grist:

Schools must now also notify parents and staff annually of their pest-management program, and 72 hours in advance of any high-risk pesticide application at school if they so request. This is the first right-to-know legislation ever passed in North Carolina, and boy are we proud.

The new law will also establish guidelines for reducing schoolchildren's exposures to diesel fumes, mold and mildew, arsenic-treated wood, and elemental mercury. Its sponsors included state Rep. Grier Martin, a Raleigh Democrat who's up for re-election Tuesday.

N.C. sustainable energy gathering set for Saturday

The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association will hold its annual Sustainable Energy Conference this Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Carraway Conference Center in Asheboro, N.C. For more information about the event, click here.

Report details air pollution from Apex hazmat fire

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality has released its final report on the results of air sampling done near the site of last month's fire at EQ Industrial Services' hazardous waste storage facility in Apex, N.C. The agency found that the concentration of some chemicals detected in eight discrete "grab samples" exceeded average urban air concentrations -- in some cases quite dramatically.

DAQ found methylene chloride, a recognized carcinogen, at concentrations ranging from 0.94 to 2.53 parts per billion, almost five to more than 13 times North Carolina's average urban concentration of 0.19 ppb. The other recognized carcinogens DAQ found at elevated levels were benzyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, ethylbenzene and trichloroethylene. It also found elevated levels of carbon disulfide, a recognized developmental and reproductive toxicant. The fire broke out around 10 p.m. on Oct. 5, and the grab samples were taken Oct. 6 and 7.

DAQ's report says "it should be stressed that no airborne contaminant sampled and analyzed exceeded 0.5% of its reference exposure level," which is the level deemed by regulatory agencies to cause immediate health effects. However, some environmental health advocates question how protective these RELs actually are, since they look at risk from exposure to only one chemical in isolation from other toxicants. In a situation like a hazmat storage facility fire, affected residents are exposed simultaneously to multiple hazards.

DAQ also took wipe samples from the exteriors of buildings near the site of the blaze, with the results of tests on those samples to be released in a separate report at a later date.

In addition, the state Division of Waste Management has received the final report analyzing samples of the ash and sludge left onsite by the fire. "Of these samples, all exceed the regulatory levels for either metals, volatile, semi-volatile or pesticidal compounds," according to yesterday's situation report from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "All of the waste will be transported and disposed as fully regulated hazardous waste." The state is still awaiting onsite test results for dioxin.

Also this week, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services began submitting for laboratory analysis data from indoor sampling of homes and businesses near the EQ site.

In other news from Apex, investigators with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board have said the fire might have been contained if the Michigan-based company had employed firewalls and other fire suppression devices, the News & Observer reported. CSB chief investigator Robert Hall told the paper, "The design of this facility, when you look at it, was set up more to prevent liquids from spilling than fire from spreading."

Last week state regulators suspended the facility's storage permit -- but noted they weren't questioning the idea of storing hazardous waste in a densely populated community. As Division of Waste Management spokesperson Cathy Akroyd told the News & Observer, "It may sound that way. But really and truly, the purpose is to clarify that they are not to receive any new waste on their site."