Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

The Arizona Department of Health Services prepared this report to evaluate whether a public health hazard exists as a result of potential environmental exposures from the contamination at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport North site. Another objective of this report was to investigate and address the health concerns of the residents in the Goodyear area, including former Unidynamics workers. This report uses available environmental data from the site and information collected from members of the community regarding their health concerns. There were many concerns, including health concerns, of residents and former Unidynamics workers that were related to living near the PGA North site or previous employment at the former Unidynamics facility. These community concerns are identified and addressed in the public
health assessment.

In March 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requested information on efforts to monitor and protect children from exposure to lead in drinking water at schools. The Arizona Department of Health Services reviewed the state lead poisoning registry, and analyzed drinking water samples from 45 randomly selected schools. The Office of Environmental Health provided this consultation to help document our findings and supplement our response to the EPA. This work was also undertaken to help provide useful information should hazardous waste sites be discovered in the future near these schools. We also wanted to apply the ATSDR health assessment process in support of state and federal efforts to protect the health of children.

The objective of this health assessment is to provide an evaluation of the health risks that may result from exposure to abandoned mine tailings in Klondyke, Arizona. The tailings are remnants from an earlier flotation mill and mining operation that was in business from the early 1900's until 1950. Environmental data indicate that the 70,000 cubic yards of tailings that remain on the property have contaminated the soil and nearby creeks with heavy metals. This report evaluates the potential pathways of human exposure to the contaminated media. The contaminants of concern further evaluated are lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, manganese, and boron. Child health issues and community concerns are also an integral part of the evaluation.

Kinder-Morgan installed monitoring wells around its Yuma Booster Station, which is surrounded by agricultural fields. Two of the monitoring wells are located on the North Gila Thomas estate property. The purpose of the monitoring wells is to provide early detection of potential contaminants associated with the pipeline running through the agricultural fields. MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. has provided laboratory data since April 2005. However, recent elevated readings of Volatile Fuel Hydrocarbons, Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl benzene, total Xylenes, and Methyl-tert-butyl Ether have caused concern. We have reviewed the groundwater sampling data collected from the two monitoring wells and conducted an assessment to evaluate whether the chemicals are at levels of public health concern.

Local residents expressed their concerns regarding the tailings from the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter at Dewey-Humboldt, AZ. The purpose of this health consultation is to evaluate the available water and soil sampling results to determine if the detected metal levels pose adverse health effects when residents come into contact with the water or soil. In 2008, EPA initiated the field investigation portion of the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for the Site. The primary objectives of the RI/FS are to determine the nature and extent of contamination and to gather sufficient information so that EPA can select a long-term remedy that eliminates, reduces, or controls risks to human health. The investigation included the collection of airborne particulates, groundwater, surface water, surface soil, subsurface soil, and sediment data across the entire Site. Data from the RI/FS was not available at the time the health consultation was prepared and thus it was not incorporated into this health consultation.

This consult is in response to a petition request by the City of Tempe to de-list the area from the South Indian Bend Wash Superfund site, to allow the redevelopment into a multi-use retail marketplace. This consultation focuses on the potential for human exposures to the contaminants from soil vapors in the section known as the Landfill Area, or the McClintock/Rio Salado Brownfield Redevelopment Area.

The Arizona Department of Health Services reviewed existing data and performed a health consultation to evaluate the potentially adverse health effects due to VOCs created by air emissions from the Miller Road Treatment Facility. Prior to the existence of our current environmental regulations, local industries improperly disposed of organic solvents directly onto the ground or into dry wells. This subsequently contaminated all three levels of the aquifer.

In March 2004, a resident of Cornville contacted the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to request information on arsenic in drinking water. The resident collected six well water samples from their own well and neighbors’ wells and submitted them to a private laboratory for arsenic analysis. The analyses detected arsenic ranging from 15 to 952 μg/L. ADEQ and the community members asked the Arizona Department of Health Services to provide health information about using the water. Initial conversations with the well owner and other community members revealed that many people had concerns about potential health effects from arsenic exposure.

This health consultation evaluates tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, perc, PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) results obtained from groundwater monitoring wells in 2004. The primary public health concerns were exposures to children by incidental contact with groundwater used for watering yards and potential exposures from using groundwater for drinking water. Another concern was contamination migrating beyond the site boundaries in two groundwater aquifers.