Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated.

In the summer of 1994, the State of Rhode Island asked for EPA's help in mitigating the threat to human health and the environment at the Bristol Sandblasting Site, located in Warren, Rhode Island. Sandblasting had been performed for many years on vehicles, farm machinery, residential and commercial facilities on and near the site. The residue from this sandblasting was used as fill at the site resulting in high concentrations of lead in surface and subsurface soil as well as varying concentrations of PCBs from unknown sources. The site consisted of two residences with a total of seven adults and seven children, aged fourteen and younger, and town conservation land. One of the children has had elevated blood lead levels in the past. After sampling to determine the extent of contamination, EPA began work at the site in April, 1995. By November, EPA and its contractors had completed the majority of removal activities. The team excavated a total of 8,500 tons of soil and removed from the soil from the site for proper disposal. The clean up involved shipping 8,000 of the 8,500 tons to a local landfill and running leaching tests to ensure that the lead would not leach into the ground in unsafe amounts. Approximately half of this 8,000 tons failed the leaching tests the first time and required stabilization before being shipped. The remaining 500 tons were shipped to a chemical landfill in New York State due to the higher PCB concentration in the soil.