.'"'I.1'"''.s UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION%,,0u-° REGION 7

25 FUNSTON ROADKANSAS CITY. KANSAS 66115

July 28, 1992

MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: Trip Report - Removal Assessment at Emory Plating,A Des Moines, Iowa (Activity #NNX02)

FROM: 1 v/Wood RamseyY EP&R/FIRE-

TO: Paul DohertyActing Chief, EP&R

BACKGROUND/SITE HISTORY

Site Description

The Emory Plating site is a former electroplating facility,located at 3929 East 14th Street, Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa.The facility was owned/operated by Mr. Richard Hansen until 1985,when Hansen sold the property to Mr. Doug Musser. Mr. Musseroperated an electroplating business at the site until August 1990when he abandoned the facility. Region VII EPA conducted aResource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) inspection at thefacility in May 1990. During that inspection, a violation wasissued for failing to sample sandblasting sand for TCLP metals.In addition to the RCRA inspection, a site reconnaissance wasperformed by the Emergency Planning and Response (EP&R) Branch onJune 25, 1992.

During the site reconnaissance, the air monitoring wasinitially performed using colorimetric indicator tubes forHydrogen Cyanide (HCN). The first measurement was takenbefore the building was ventilated and resulted in approximately2 milligrams per cubic meter of air. The threshold limit valueas a time-weighted average (as published by the AmericanConference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) is11 milligrams per cubic meter of air. At that point, thebuilding was ventilated by opening two overhead doors andsubsequent measurements for HCN did not result in detection ofHCN. Additional air monitoring was performed using a radiationmeter, a combustible gas indicator/oxygen meter, and a flameionization detector for total organic vapors. No significant

S00083040SUPERFUND RECORDS

measurements were made with those instruments. Following the airmonitoring, a general survey of the building was made. Thebuilding had been vandalized and trash and debris werewidespread. Approximately nine plating vats were observed (onewith three compartments) and several were of questionableintegrity. One vat was empty and turned on its side and appearedto be badly corroded. Several drums, mainly fiber drums (laterfound to be containing solid cyanide) were in poor shape. Oncethe survey was complete, the site was secured.

Based on the site recon and available records, the problemsassociated with the site include open plating vats containingacidic solutions, open vats containing basic solutions withcyanide, drums of solid cyanide, containers of acid solution,numerous containers of unknown materials, and corrosive residueson the floor.

Physical Location

The facility is located in a commercial/residential area innorth Des Moines. The City of Des Moines has a population ofapproximately 190,000 people. The properties adjacent to EmoryPlating are commercial, but at least one of those properties isadjacent to residential property. The closest residentialproperty is approximately 100 feet away from the Emory site.Also, there is considerable pedestrian traffic on the siteproperty along 14th Street. At the request of the Des MoinesHealth Department, the Department of Public Works has boarded upthe site to discourage trespassing inside the building. Thecoordinates for the site are Latitude 41° 37' 57" North,Longitude 93° 35' 06" West.

Site Characteristics

The facility is no longer in operation; it was abandoned inAugust 1990. The site is privately owned, but the owner claimsthe property has been seized by Polk County for failure to paytaxes. However, the records at the Polk County Recorder of Deedsoffice listed the property owner as Emory Plating, for whichRichard Hansen is listed as the registered agent.

On July 13, 1992, a removal assessment was conducted at theEmory site. Personnel responsible for conducting the assessmentwere :

Wood Ramsey, EPA/OSC;Janis Desneux, TAT;Dave Kinroth, TAT.

The initial work consisted of clearing debris and solidwaste from areas where the vats were located. Containers ofwhat appeared to be hazardous substances were moved andsegregated in a room in the northeast corner of the building(room #3). Once the work area had been cleared of debris,the plating vats were characterized and sampled. Thecharacterization consisted of pH measurement, using a meter andpaper, and oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) measurement, alsowith a meter. Samples were collected for total metals and fortotal and amenable cyanides, if the pH value was high. Inaddition to sampling the vats, samples were collected from thesoil on all four sides of the building, from metal dust/fibers onthe east side of the building, and from uncontained materialsfound on the building floor. After the samples were collected,most of the materials on the floor were placed in containers,along with the metal dusts/fibers found outside on the east sideof the building. In addition, approximately 15 containers weresampled and the samples were field characterized. Three of thecontainers gave positive results for cyanide and one was labelledas zinc cyanide. Test results for other sampled containersindicated the presence of corrosive substances, with pH valuesexceeding 12 or less than 3. Samples from at least two drumswere flammable. Prior to leaving the site, banner guard wasfixed to the exterior of the building on three sides to warn thepublic of the hazards inside the building.

SUBSTANCES PRESENT

The materials present at the Emory Plating site can beplaced in three groups; plating vats, uncontained materials, andmaterials in closed containers. A complete site inventory isincluded as Attachment A.

The vats store plating solutions that are either acidic orbasic. The pH of the acid solutions are as low as 0.0, using aportable pH meter. The basic solutions were found to have a pHas high as 13.4, based on meter readings in the field. It isvery likely the basic solutions contain high concentrations offree cyanide, which is typical of plating solutions. The vatsare summarized as follows:

Vat

V-l

V-2

V-3

V-4

V-5

V-6

V-7

V-8

V-9a

V-9b

V-9c

Dimension (WxLxD)

30"x60"x42"

48"x24"x36"

0=30", diam.= 16"32"x72"x42"

18"X48"X36"

35"x54"x36"

13"X20"X32"

17"X36"X30"

14"x35"xl7"

14"x35"xl7"

14"x35"xl7"

Volume ofSolution200 gallons100 gallons10 gallons190 gallons

90 gallons25 gallons

20 gallons53 gallons40 gallons

40 gallons

40 gallons

Type of Solution

acid (chromic)basicacidicbasicbasicbasicacidbasicbasicbasicbasic

Other materials present at the site include three drumscontaining solid forms of cyanide, presumably used for preparingplating solutions, several drums of corrosive solids, and severaldrums of flammable liquid.

Photographs of the site are attached.

Previous Actions by

The EPA, Region VII, Environmental Monitoring and Compliance(EMCM) Branch conducted a RCRA inspection of the facility onMay 4, 1990. During that inspection, the facility was given anotice of violation for failure to sample waste for TCLP metals.The waste was spent shot from sandblasting paint and wassuspected of containing lead. Also, a site reconnaissance wasconducted on June 25, 1992, by EPA/EP&R and Technical AssistanceTeam (TAT) personnel.

State and Local Actions

The Des Moines Fire Department (DMFD) became involved withEmory Plating during the course of several inspections at thefacility concerning improper storage of cyanide. At least sixinspections were made from February 1987 to July 1990. Theoperator of the facility, Mr. Doug Musser, told the DMFD

inspector the cyanide was to be shipped to a disposal facility,but not all of the cyanide was disposed, as documented by a DMFDreport. When Mr. Musser ceased operations at the site, DMFDbegan dealing with the owner of the property, Mr. Richard Hansen.However, in November 1991, Mr. Hansen made it clear he was nolonger interested in the Emory Plating property and that thecounty could seize it for back taxes. At that time, DMFDreferred the site to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources(IDNR) for the removal of the wastes inside the building. IDNRthen referred the site to Region VII EPA Superfund Branch.

Future involvement on the part of IDNR and DMFD will be assupport during a possible Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) removal action.

THREAT

The substances at the Emory Plating facility present asignificant threat to the public, due to the open vats of thevarious plating solutions. The solutions consist of cyanide,chromium, possibly lead, and corrosive liquids.

Specific information concerning exposures to some of thesubstances present at the site was obtained from DangerousProperties of Industrial Materials, N.I. Sax., 7th Edition.

Cyanide: Cyanide is extremely poisonous by all routes ofexposure. Exposure to concentrated cyanide can lead to death,although less severe symptoms are observed from chronicexposures. For the most part, death is caused by respiratoryfailure. Other symptoms include salivation, nausea withoutvomiting, confusion, vertigo, convulsions, paralysis, and cardiacarrhythmias. Cyanide is stable in basic solutions but willgenerate HCN gas if the pH drops below 7. However, carbondioxide in air is acidic enough to release HCN gas from cyanidesolutions. Cyanide is reactive with nitrates, fluorine, andmagnesium and is a flammable gas as HCN.

Chromium: Chromium is a human poison by ingestion and is asuspected carcinogen.

Lead: Lead is a poison by ingestion. It is also asuspected carcinogen of the lungs and kidneys. Systemic effectsinclude loss of appetite, anemia, headache, irritability, muscleand joint pains, tremors, hallucinations, and liver changes. Lowlevels of lead can impair neurotransmission and depress theimmune system. Acute exposure can lead to reversible kidneydamage. Chronic exposure can cause irreversible vascular

sclerosis, tubular cell atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, andglomular sclerosis. High concentrations can result in sterility,abortion, and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Absorption ofhigh levels of lead may be indicated by a dark line on gummargins, referred to as the "lead line."

Acids: Hydrochloric acid is a human poison. It is mildlytoxic by inhalation, moderately toxic by ingestion and is acorrosive irritant to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.Nitric acid is also considered a human poison and is corrosive toeyes, skin, teeth, and mucous membranes. It is also a verystrong oxidizer and presents a significant threat due to itsreactive nature with a wide variety of compounds, primarily incombinations with acetone.

Bases: Sodium hydroxide presents a threat due to itstoxicity and its reactivity. As with the acids, it is toxic byingestion and is corrosive to skin and mucous membranes.However, its effect on skin tissue is much more destructive thanthat of acids. Direct contact with sodium hydroxide can causeburns and deep ulcerations, and destroys tissue bysaponification. Inhalation may lead to damage of the upperrespiratory tract. It can also react violently with a widevariety of substances and is therefore a dangerous material tohandle.

The substances present at the site are hazardous substanceswith respect to CERCLA and are RCRA hazardous wastes. Theassociated RCRA waste numbers would include: cyanide - P030;corrosivity by characteristic - D002; electroplating baths byprocess - F007.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

In accordance with the National Oil and Hazardous SubstancesPollution Contingency Plan, a removal site evaluation wasconducted at the Emory Plating site. The information collectedduring the evaluation has been documented in this report. Basedon that information, it is recommended that a CERCLA removalaction be conducted at the Emory Plating site [300.415(b)(2)].This recommendation is based on: 1) potential exposure to nearbyhuman populations; 2) hazardous substances present in bulkcontainers that pose a threat of release, and 3) reactivesubstances in close proximity to incompatible materials.

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