Emergency Response in New England
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Site Status ArchivesSite Status from Dec. 18
Neighborhood Meeting Dec. 20:
EPA and MassDEP will join Danvers Town Manager Wayne Marquis at a neighborhood meeting on Dec. 20th to update affected residents on recent activities at the site. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Riverside School.
Household Hazards Collection Dec. 19:
MassDEP is sponsoring a neighborhood household hazardous waste collection day for residents whose homes were damaged by the explosion. On Tuesday, Dec. 19th from 8 a.m. - 12 noon, neighborhood residents may bring oils, paints, and other household hazardous wastes to a collection point located at 11 Bates Street.
Drum Removal and Sampling:
EPA's recovery of contaminated debris is well underway. As of 12/15/06, over 285 drums have been removed from the former building and have been sampled. Sampling results will be used to identify the contents of each drum and to determine which off-site facility to ship the drums, containers, and their contents for disposal.
Underground Storage Tanks:
During the week of Dec. 11, approximately 7,500 gallons of solvents were pumped out of the underground storage tanks and shipped off site for disposal. EPA expects to have all of the remaining chemicals removed from the footprint of the former facility by the end of this week.
Air Monitoring:
To ensure that public health is being protected, EPA is continuously monitoring the air as the hazardous materials are being removed. To date, EPA's air monitoring has shown no elevated levels of concern for public health. All of the sampling data has been reviewed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and Mass. Dept. of Public Health (MDPH). The Agencies jointly issued the following statement after evaluating EPA's latest air sampling data:
"ATSDR and MDPH conclude that none of the concentrations of any of the contaminants detected in the fifth round of sampling represent a health concern under the exposure conditions expected at this site."
Building Demolition:
EPA and MassDEP have provided support during the town's demolition of five homes on Bates Street and the nearby Pizza Factory building. EPA is providing air monitoring and sampling support. MassDEP has an asbestos inspector on-site full-time to observe demolition activities, and to ensure that asbestos containing materials are identified and properly managed.
Site Status from Dec. 8, 2006:
EPA has worked closely with other agencies, including the federal Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP), the City of Danvers and others to ensure personnel making access to the blast areas follow appropriate safety procedures, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
EPA is stabilizing and securing any containers that are breached and may be impacted by the weather. In addition, measures are in place to ensure that contaminated materials are not tracked beyond the work area. EPA is also working closely with MassDEP and the U.S. Coast Guard to control any run-off from the site and the Liberty Marina building.
Air samples have been collected from 8 locations around the perimeter of the site and in the adjacent neighborhood. The samples are being analyzed at EPA's Regional Laboratory in Chelmsford, MA for a wide range of volatile organic compounds. EPA has developed an Air Monitoring and Sampling Plan for the project.
Demolition of two small commercial buildings was completed and debris is being removed.
Upcoming projects include beginning drum sorting and removal, and removing overhead steel in the destroyed building's footprint. Personnel will also be pumping out Underground Storage Tanks.
Site Status from Nov. 27, 2006:
PA and MassDEP both supplied laboratory analysis services in support of the air monitoring and water sampling to quickly identify if any contamination was posing short term (acute) risks to people. Direct reading air monitoring equipment deployed by EPA did not indicate elevated levels of chemicals of concern, nor did downwind air samples collected by state environmental workers indicate elevated levels of chemicals of concern.
To further ensure protection of public health, state and federal health experts are providing a detailed review of the collected field data to evaluate any public health impact for Danvers residents.
Statement released on Thurs. Nov. 23 by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and Mass Public Health Officials after reviewing collected air sampling data:
"Ambient air samples collected by EPA during the late afternoon of Wednesday, November 22, demonstrated few detections, if any. All results were well below any available health guidelines. Based on a review by ATSDR and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, these data do not present any health concerns related to chemical exposures to residents returning to the neighborhood impacted by the fire."
Surface water samples from the firefighting run off detected elevated levels of methyl ethyl ketone, alcohols and volatile organic compounds, all of which were expected to disperse quickly in the water column. Due to the elevated compounds detected in the run off water and the heavy rain at the site, environmental responders constructed containment berms to minimize contamination to surface waters by utilizing vacuum trucks which collected the water from the bermed areas.
EPA is continuing to work closely with state and local officials as residents return to their homes, to ensure that citizens have all the information they need to protect themselves from any potential environmental hazards.