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NPL Site Narrative for Arsenic Trioxide Site
ARSENIC TRIOXIDE SITE
Southeastern North Dakota
Federal Register Notice: September 8, 1983Conditions at listing (October 1981): The Arsenic Trioxide Site covers 700 square miles in Sargent, Richland, and Ransom Counties in southeastern North Dakota. Heavy grasshopper infestations in the 1930s resulted in large and repeated applications of arsenic-based poisons such as arsenic trioxide. Dated or excess poisons were often buried near shallow aquifers, left unmarked in outbuildings, hauled to open dumps, or thrown onto agriculturally unproductive lands. Arsenic levels exceeding the maximum acceptable limit set by Federal drinking water standards were identified in the Lidgerwood city water supply, as well as in numerous private wells on farms. Rutland and Wyndmere water supplies also contain arsenic.
This is the top priority site in North Dakota.
Status (July 1983): In August 1982, EPA awarded a $218,000 Cooperative Agreement to North Dakota for a remedial investigation to determine the extent of arsenic contamination in ground water and soils. The work is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 1984.
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.