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Toxics Found at Plastics Site Soil, Water at Saugus Plant Could Qualify for Epa Cleanup

Posted on: Friday, 30 September 2005, 00:00 CDT

By Judy O'Rourke\ Special to the Daily News

SAUGUS - Cancer-causing chemicals are in the soil and groundwater at a former Saugus plastics plant that closed after it was found to be mishandling toxic waste, a federal official said.

The defunct Keysor Century Corp. site, in a heavy industrial area near the Santa Clara River and its South Fork, could qualify for cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund, formed in the 1970s to deal with the nation's most polluted sites.

"It was a nasty site in its previous incarnation," Matt Mitguard, project manager for the EPA's Superfund division, said Tuesday of contaminants found on the property. "Once it gets in the groundwater, it is free to migrate. Groundwater doesn't care where the property line is."

So far, however, there are no signs that the contamination has spread to Santa Clarita's drinking water sources.

The agency has sunk five water wells and collected 60 soil samples throughout the property, which lies southeast of the junction of Bouquet Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road. Sampling was done in June and tests continue.

Mitguard said the groundwater samples contained elevated concentrations of contaminants, including solvents and vinyl chloride gas. Substances released into the air can dissipate, but the polluted groundwater must be treated, he said.

Valencia Water Co. President Robert DiPrimio said Wednesday the EPA notified the company some years ago, and the water company has provided the EPA with water quality data from wells in the groundwater basin. Valencia Water has wells in the general vicinity that augment its supply of state water to serve local customers.

"We have not found any compounds they have found on the Keysor Century site in our water supplies," DiPrimio said. This indicates the substances may not be moving in the basin, he said, adding, "These sorts of contaminated sites tend to be very localized."

Water companies, required to routinely test for the compounds, have found none of the hazardous materials in the local supply, DiPrimio said. If the substances were detected in the water, the company would be required to notify its customers and city and county agencies.

After a tip from a whistle-blower in 2000 and an investigation by the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office charged the company with illegal disposal of waste, falsifying records, conspiracy and mail fraud during the period from 1997 to 2001.

Keysor Century illegally stored, handled and burned hazardous waste, falsified emissions-monitoring reports and altered gauges that measured workers' exposure to the chemicals to disguise safety breaches, according to an investigation that led to the earlier charges.

Keysor Century halted operations and filed for bankruptcy in 2003.

In August 2004, Keysor Century officials pleaded guilty to felony charges of violating environmental laws by belching cancer-causing chemicals into the air and shooting toxic wastewater into the Santa Clara River over a period of years. The company paid $4.3 million in civil and criminal penalties and issued a public apology.

The facility manufactured polyvinyl chloride used in making record albums and other plastics. The EPA classifies vinyl chloride, a gas used in making PVCs, as a cancer-causing substance.

During a preliminary EPA assessment, findings indicated that a wider on-site investigation was needed. That began in June; the agency is continuing to evaluate test results generated from the investigation.

Who is responsible for the cleanup will be determined after the final report is evaluated. Mitguard said it is likely the site will be eligible to be considered for the agency's national priorities list. The extent of contamination and the viability of the responsible parties will be factored into the decision.

An arm of the state EPA that oversees hazardous waste handlers and is charged with ensuring they comply with state and federal laws has deferred to the federal agency at this point. The Department of Toxic Substances Control could play a role later on if the EPA bows out.

"We don't want to duplicate what the other agency is doing," said Sara Amir, chief of cleanup operations for the Southern California division of the DTSC. Amir's agency is overseeing cleanup nearby of the defunct Whittaker Bermite property, where military explosives were manufactured and tested.

The state agency could step in if the EPA decides not to list the Keysor property among its national priority sites.

"If the site is posing health or environmental risks, we will make sure it is investigated and cleaned up," Amir said.

Mitguard hopes to finalize the site report by November.

Judy O'Rourke, (661) 257-5255

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

DISCOVERED AT SITE

Solvents, or their byproducts, known as DCE and toluene, were found in the soil at the defunct Keysor-Century Corp. plant.

Significant concentrations of vinyl chloride and volatile organic compounds that are breakdown products of vinyl chloride, were found in the groundwater.

Dichloroethene, or DCE, is a suspected carcinogen. It is an industrial chemical that degrades slowly in water. Animals that have ingested high levels have damaged kidneys, livers and lungs. Irritation may result from skin or eye contact.

Toluene is a colorless liquid that might affect the nervous system. Exposure to low to moderate levels can cause tiredness, weakness, memory loss, loss of appetite and color and vision loss. The symptoms usually go away when the exposure ends. High levels of exposure may affect the kidneys. Studies in humans have generally shown that toluene does not cause cancer.

Vinyl chloride, a gas, can cause redness, numbness and blistering if it touches human skin. Animal studies indicate lengthy exposure to vinyl chloride can damage sperm. The effects of drinking high levels are not known. Inhaling it over long periods can cause liver cancer.

SOURCE: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Source: Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif.

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