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NPL Site Narrative for Chemical Commodities, Inc.
CHEMICAL COMMODITIES INC.
Olathe, Kansas
Federal Register Notice: May 31, 1994The Chemical Commodities Inc. (CCI) site occupies approximately 1.5 acres in central Olathe, a suburban community of Kansas City with a population of approximately 60,000. The site is bounded to the east by the Burlington-Northern railroad right-of-way, to the south by a vacant lot, and to the west and north by single-family residences. Land use in the area is primarily commercial and residential.
CCI is an inactive chemical recycling facility which handled, stored, repackaged, and distributed a variety of chemicals, including surplus industrial and laboratory chemicals, hazardous substances, and hazardous wastes. CCI operated at the site from 1951 until 1989. Before 1951, the property was occupied by an ice manufacturer. Currently, the only structure remaining at CCI is the main warehouse; no improvements are present throughout the remainder of the grounds. A covered mound of excavated contaminated soil is also present at the site.
The CCI facility is associated with a long history of regulatory inspections, investigations, citations, non-qualifying removals, and emergency responses. Site assessment investigations conducted in the past documented poor housekeeping, inappropriate material handling and storage practices, and facility conditions which allowed materials to migrate offsite. Concerns for public health and safety were raised throughout the period of operation of the facility, especially those associated with emanating odors, precipitation runoff from the site, and fires.
In 1980, CCI acquired a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit as a generator and transporter of hazardous waste. EPA issued an Administrative Order on Consent regarding the site in 1985, and again in 1989.
Investigations conducted at the site by CCI, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the EPA have indicated that soil and ground water are contaminated, and that hazardous substances have migrated offsite via air and surface water runoff. A wide range of metals, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and pesticides have been detected in the soil and ground water. Ground water in the Olathe area is not utilized as a source for municipal drinking water. The nearest private ground water well listed in State records is approximately three miles southwest of the site.
Several other sources were present but not included in the evaluation due to lack of specific information regarding the structures.
An observed release to the air has been established at CCI due to the level of contamination detected during a series of air sampling events. High concentrations of two hazardous substances associated with the contaminated soil source were detected in an air sample collected downwind of the site.
Ground water was not included in the HRS evaluation because of its limited use, although ground water at and around the site is contaminated with high concentrations of halogenated organic compounds. Chemical analysis of ground water samples collected from onsite and offsite monitoring wells indicated that hazardous substances are present in the shallow ground water beneath the site.
Soil exposure was not included in the HRS evaluation due to the limited accessibility to the sources at the site, although contaminated soil has been documented and is considered a source at the site.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.