Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
LENAWEE COUNTY
ADRIAN

Congressional District # 07

ANDERSON DEVELOPMENT CO.

EPA ID# MID002931228
Last Updated: November, 2008

Site Description

The Anderson Development Company (ADC) manufactures specialty organic chemicals on a 12 -acre facility in Adrian, Michigan, and sells the products to other manufacturers. ADC produced the chemical 4,4'-methylene-bis-2-chloroaniline (MBOCA) from 1970 to 1979 under the trade name of Curine 442. MBOCA is used as a curing agent for polyurethanes and epoxy resins and is considered to be a highly toxic compound that can be absorbed through the skin. MBOCA was discharged to the environment through surface water and airborne routes. MBOCA contamination was found in high concentrations in sludges in the pretreatment lagoon and lower concentrations in sediments and soil within a two-mile radius of the ADC facility in 1979. In 1980 and 1981, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), ADC, and Lenawee County Health Department conducted an extensive cleanup and monitoring program that included sampling of nearby surface soil and home carpet vacuum dust testing. Approximately 25,000 people live within three miles of the site. 

Site Responsibility

This site was addressed through federal, state, local, and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

MBOCA contamination was found 1) in high concentrations in sludges in the pretreatment lagoon and 2) in lower concentrations in sediments and soil within a two-mile radius of the ADC facility in 1979. 

Cleanup Progress

The surface soil; lagoon sludge; and clay, underlying the lagoon were contaminated with MBOCA, a known carcinogen that can be absorbed through the skin. A 1990 investigation of the soil beyond the immediate lagoon area indicated that the MBOCA concentration level no longer presented a threat to public health. In 1981, Lenawee County Health Department and the MDNR initiated a cleanup effort to aid local homeowners whose residences were contaminated with MBOCA. This included cleaning up the interior and exterior of homes in the Sunnyside area. Homes with private wells in the vicinity of ADC were connected to the city's water supply system.

Anderson Development Company, under United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and MDNR oversight, performed an investigation that assessed the nature and extent of contamination, identified the degree of contamination, and characterized potential risks to the community. This investigation was completed in Spring 1990, and the cleanup remedy was selected in Fall 1990. The remedy recommended the use of in-situ vitrification technologies to decontaminate soils at the site. An amendment to the remedy in 1991, however, modified the remedy to test the effectiveness of low temperature thermal desorption to clean up the soil. It was determined that this technology was effective, and treatment began in January 1992. Cleanup was completed in fall, 1993. The cleanup of residences, the provision of an alternate water supply, and the final cleanup of contaminated lagoons, soils, and sludges have eliminated the exposure to MBOCA-contaminated materials at the Anderson Development Company site. All cleanup goals have been met. U.S. EPA deleted this site from the National Priorities List on January 26, 1996.

Property Reuse

The Site is currently in reuse for industrial use.  The Site is home to Anderson Development Company, a business that manufactures industrial chemicals.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
michael berkoff (berkoff.michael@epa.gov)
(312) 353-8983

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
dave novak
(312) 886-7478

Aliases

ANDERSON DEVELOPMENT CO

 

Site Profile Information

This profile provides you with information on EPA's cleanup progress at this Superfund site.