Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has asked the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health, to conduct a health assessment for the off-site residential area located adjacent to the Tucson Industrial Center, also known as the 3 Hangars site, within the larger Tucson International Airport Area Superfund site, in Tucson, Arizona. Previous investigations found that elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the drainage areas at the TIC site had migrated off-site into residential areas presenting a health threat to residents. The purpose of this Public Health Assessment is to evaluate if a public health hazard still exists since the remediation activities have been conducted at the off-site El Vado residential area. ADHS concludes that no current public health hazard exists as a result of ingestion, dermal, or inhalation exposures by residents, children, or transients to the post remediated soil in the residential areas on El Vado Road. Replacement of the top soil with certified clean soil has removed all contact with the soil containing PCBs eliminating any future public health hazard.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency asked the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health, to provide an evaluation of the health hazards that may result from exposure to soil and soil gas contaminants present on the West-Cap site, located just north of the Tucson International Airport. Improper waste disposal practices from previous industrial activities at the site have resulted in contamination of on-site soil and soil gas. The objective of this health assessment is to assess the potential adverse health impact to on-site workers from exposure to the on-site contaminated soil and soil gas. Community exposures are not presented in this public health assessment.

This public health assessment evaluates the potential public health hazard from exposure to contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of the Tucson International Airport. The Tucson International Airport Area superfund site consists of a main plume of contaminated groundwater and three smaller areas of groundwater contamination east of the main plume. This report focuses on one of these areas of contamination called Plume B and evaluates the public health hazard posed by Plume B to residents of the area of south Tucson bounded by Valencia Road, Campbell Avenue, Irvington Road, and 6th Avenue.

The purpose of this document is to summarize the body of environmental health investigation work that has been developed for the airport site. The report includes a summary of previous reports and new data. There is currently no exposure of public health concern. However, no regulation prevents persons from installing private drinking water wells in the contaminated groundwater. Because the pollutants in the groundwater may be of public health concern if it were used for drinking water, the site may pose a potential public health hazard unless actions are taken to prevent such use.

The purpose of the consultation is to identify any current groundwater use in the Motorola 52nd Street Superfund Site area that might result in human exposure to site contaminants. The Arizona Department of Health Services previously evaluated well use in Operable Units 1 and 2 in 1992. This report updates the well use inventory for Operable Units 1 and 2 and provides an evaluation of potential groundwater exposure pathways in Operable Unit 3.

The purpose of this health consultation is to determine whether contaminants in groundwater from the Motorola 56th Street facility represent a threat to public health. The facility was first occupied in the spring of 1950 as the Western Military Electronics Center. From 1950 to 1958, it was primarily used for bench type electronics, electronic assembly, and semiconductor production. The chemicals used in these processes included solvent degreasers such as trichloroethylene, acetone, and freon, and metals such as cadmium, chromium, and arsenic. From 1959 through 1961, the facility was used primarily for document storage. Beginning in 1962, manufacturing of electronics resumed to include assembly of circuit boards, plating, and degreasing. Chemicals used between 1962 and 1974 included trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and a number of acids and metals including arsenic. In 1975, the facility began manufacturing liquid crystal products. These activities continued until 1982, when it was converted to office use. The investigations that have been conducted to date have shown that there are residual levels of arsenic and fluoride in down-gradient private wells west of the facility. Solvent contaminants that were found in the 1980s are no longer present at detectable levels in down-gradient private wells.