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NPL Site Narrative for Upjohn Facility
UPJOHN FACILITY
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
Federal Register Notice: September 21, 1984Conditions at listing (September 1983): The Upjohn Site in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, is the result of a spill of 15,300 gallons of a mixture of 65 percent carbon tetrachloride and 35 percent acetonitrile. In September 1982, a buried tank holding this mixture leaked, releasing its contents into ground water. EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey have documented contamination of ground water. A large portion of the spilled material remains in the soil. A public well serving more than 12,000 people is less than 1 mile from the site.
Upjohn has taken a number of remedial measures at the site, including (1) installing a grid of monitoring wells to define the plume of contaminated ground water; (2) installing a water line to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority supply line to Tiborones; (3) providing emergency water supplies to Garrochales; (4) cleaning, inspecting, and testing the remaining underground tanks (no other leaks were found); and (5) installing a pilot extraction plant to remove the carbon tetrachloride from the soil. Upjohn says it has already recovered 800 gallons of carbon tetrachloride from the soil by vapor extraction. Upjohn plans to install an extraction well to recover a plume containing 2,000 parts per billion of carbon tetrachloride.
Status (June 1984): EPA is currently negotiating an agreement with Upjohn to ensure that the remedial actions are completed in accordance with CERCLA requirements.
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.