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EPA Remedy to Reduce Lead in Palmerton Soil

Release Date: 10/11/2001
Contact Information: David Polish (215) 814-3327

Contact: David Polish (215) 814-3327

PHILADELPHIA – Lead in residential soils and in homes near the Palmerton Zinc Superfund site in Carbon County, Pa. will be cleaned up to safe levels at no cost to homeowners, under a decision announced today by the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The remedy for Operable Unit 3, a Superfund cleanup term, seeks to remove lead from residential soil in Palmerton. The plan represents EPA’s final decision about the best way to remove lead dust from contaminated soil, and is the latest chapter in the multi-year cleanup of the Superfund site. The lead resulted from historic zinc smelting dating back to the 1890s.

The remedy selected by EPA incorporates significant comments from stakeholders, including numerous public meetings, and reflects broad community involvement.

Because many residents expressed concern about lead paint in houses, EPA tailored a flexible remedy that acknowledges that private companies responsible for the cleanup may remove lead paint from houses, as well as removing lead from soil, in order to reduce the total lead burden on the community.

The remedy is innovative because even though EPA has no authority under the Superfund law to clean up residential lead paint, the federal agency can encourage the private firms to solve lead paint problems as part of an overall cleanup of soil in the community.

The remedy identifies the two companies with financial responsibility for the cleanup, Horsehead Industries and Viacom, Inc. The firms, called potentially responsible parties (PRPs), have 120 days to agree to EPA’s remedy.

If the companies fail to present an adequate cleanup plan to EPA within 120 days, EPA itself could perform the cleanup of exterior soils and interior dust, and send the PRPs the bill.

An EPA-managed cleanup will be fully protective. In the end, whether the companies clean up the lead or EPA does, lead levels in both exterior soil and interior dust will be reduced to safe levels, at no cost to homeowners.

The main objective of the cleanup is to prevent dangerous levels of lead from accumulating in children’s blood by reducing the amount of lead to which they are exposed in their environment. Lead is especially dangerous to small children, whose growing bodies absorb it faster, hindering physical and mental development. At low levels, lead can damage hearing, induce nerve disorders, affect motor skills such as speech and language, and produce behavioral problems. High levels can cause brain damage, kidney failure, seizures and death.

Operable Unit 3's preferred remedy for reducing lead in residential soil will begin by testing soil around homes and play areas.

Previous cleanup plans have already been adopted for Operable Unit 1, which dealt with revegetating Blue Mountain; and Operable Unit 2, which includes diverting surface water around the 33 million ton slag pile (the cinder bank), treating contaminated runoff to protect Aquaschicola Creek, and revegetating the cinder bank.

Copies of EPA’s remedy for Operable Unit 3 are contained in a record of decision which is available for citizens to review at the Palmerton Public Library.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning a community meeting in the near future to explain details of the cleanup plan and answer residents’ questions.