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.

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.

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.

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.