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NYANZA SAMPLING RESULTS SHOW NO CURRENT HEALTH RISKS

Release Date: 02/11/1999
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Affairs Office, (617) 918-1064 Sharon Hayes, Superfund Project Manager, (617) 918-1328

Boston - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that there are currently no health risks associated with the volatilization of chemicals found in contaminated groundwater from the Nyanza Superfund Site in Ashland, Massachusetts. The agency made its determination based on recent results of indoor air sampling that showed very low levels of industrial solvents in the air - levels far below state and federal health-based levels.

EPA undertook the indoor sampling program in response to new groundwater data obtained during routine monitoring at the Nyanza Superfund Site. EPA collected indoor air samples from nine residences, the Town Hall, and the Police Department to determine if contaminants in the groundwater are volatilizing and migrating into homes and businesses at levels that might affect public health. Sampling was conducted on November 18, 19, 23, and 24, 1998 and was coordinated with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Ashland town officials and residents.

None of the five targeted compounds exceeded levels deemed safe by EPA and the state. The compounds (benzene, chlorobenzene, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene) are industrial organic solvents found in the contaminated groundwater plume that extends from the site in a northeasterly direction toward the Sudbury River. Results have been forwarded to Ashland town officials and to residents in whose homes samples were collected. Indoor air samples collected in 1990 also did not exceed safe levels.

The discovery of highly concentrated, dense pockets of contamination in the groundwater at the site in 1994 caused EPA to reconsider the traditional pump and treat cleanup technology. Since then, EPA has been conducting additional studies to evaluate the risks to human health and the environment. Data from the studies will be used to examine other options for treating the contaminated groundwater. In the meantime, EPA will continue to monitor the groundwater on a routine basis, and will collect additional indoor air samples if conditions warrant.

EPA reiterated that based on the indoor air results, and the fact that the town of Ashland does not use the groundwater for its drinking water supply, there is no immediate health risk to the public living and working over the contaminated groundwater plume.

The Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump Superfund Site is comprised of the 35-acre former Nyanza, Inc. property, drainageways between the property and the Sudbury River, and a 33-mile stretch of the Sudbury River. From 1917 to 1978, the site was used to produce textile dyes and other related products. Nyanza, Inc., operated on this site from 1965 until 1978. Large volumes of industrial wastewater containing high levels of acids and numerous organic and inorganic chemicals, including mercury, were generated. The groundwater, soil, and sediments are contaminated with heavy metals and organic compounds. Wetland sediments as well as sediments and fish in the Sudbury River are contaminated with mercury. The site was put on the Superfund National Priorities List in 1983. To date, EPA has spent more than $36 million dollars have been spent on cleanup efforts. The agency recently attained an additional $10 million for sediment cleanup activities scheduled to begin this spring.