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NPL Site Narrative for Parsons Casket Hardware Co.
PARSONS CASKET HARDWARE CO.
Belvidere, Illinois
Federal Register Notice: July 22, 1987Conditions at proposal (January 22, 1987): The Parsons Casket Hardware Co. Site covers approximately 2 acres in a residential area of Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois. Parsons used an electroplating process for manufacturing metal fittings for caskets from 1898 until August 1982, when it filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Federal bankruptcy code.
Wastes generated by Parsons included electroplating sludge, cyanide plating solutions, cyanide cleaning solutions, and bronze, nickel, and brass sludges. In 1982, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) found that approximately 120 drums of various sizes were stored inside and outside the manufacturing building. Many were dented, corroded, leaking, or had no lids; 34 had originated from Parsons' parent company, Dickey Grabler Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. About 4,800 gallons of wastes were stored in above- and below-ground tanks. An unlined lagoon contained approximately 166,500 gallons of liquid wastes and 1,230 cubic yards of sludges. The wastes had high levels of lead, copper, cyanide, and nickel, as did monitoring wells around the lagoon, according to EPA analyses.
Municipal wells within 3 miles of the site are the sole source of drinking water for Belvidere's 15,200 residents, and all are potentially at risk of contamination. The nearest well is 1,500 feet from the site. The Kishwaukee River, which is used for fishing and recreation, is approximately 1,400 feet from the site.
Before Parsons filed for bankruptcy, the State ordered it to repackage all leaking drums and move them indoors. In October 1984, the State began cleaning up the lagoon, completing the operation in the spring of 1985. On December 7, 1984, Filter Systems, Inc., of Addison, Illinois, purchased the on-site building and agreed to recycle or remove the drums stored in the building. Filter Systems has removed the drums.
In July 1985, soil taken from the lagoon cleanup area still contained high levels of cyanide, nickel, and copper, according to EPA. No plans have yet been formalized to deal with that problem.
The plant acquired Interim Status when Parsons filed Part A of a permit application under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
This site is being proposed for the NPL because it satisfies a component of the NPL/RCRA policy: the owner or operator has demonstrated inability to finance appropriate remedial action by invoking bankruptcy laws.
Status (July 22, 1987): EPA is considering various alternatives for 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.