Download Chemical Contamination Cleanup

EMA
Case Study Series
Chemical contamination clean up effectiveness
- Chuchawan Trace - Debe, Trinidad 2006
1
Introduction
Acting on information
received from Public Health
Officials of the Victoria
Public Health District – of a
possible health hazard posed
by a chemical factory
operating in Chuchawan
Trace, Debe [South Trinidad]
the Environmental
Management Authority
[EMA] initiated an assessment
destroyed by fire, leaving exposed
drums containing chemicals and
other combustible materials on the
site.
These chemicals subsequently
contaminated the site and the
surrounding areas which included open
pasture land, cane fields as well as
adjacent residences.
which revealed that the
Petroleum Laboratories
Company Limited [Petrolab]
was using the site for the
indiscriminate dumping and
unsafe long term storage of
unknown chemicals in metal
buckets and drums.
The environmental audit is a process
used to assess a facility's compliance
with local government regulations. The
objective of the audit is to identify
compliance issues so that they can be
corrected before environmental
degradation or enforcement
actions occur.
“MUSHROOM clouds of black smoke
billowed over the village of Debe near
San Fernando yesterday afternoon as
fire raged for hours at a chemical site,
causing villagers to evacuate their
homes. Barrels containing chemical
substances from the lab and storage
facility at Chuchawan Trace exploded
and shot some 100 feet into the air.
The chemical fire blazed for at least six
hours.” – Trinidad Newsday, March 20th
2005
However on March 19, 2005 (before
any proceedings could be undertaken
to address this company’s noncompliance with health and safety
standards) the Petrolab facility was
The Next Step
The EMA contracted Green Engineering
to conduct a Phase 1 Environmental
Site Assessment [ESA] of the burnt
out area and subsequently to perform
a Phase 11 ESA to further assess the
site and to initiate site cleanup in order
to prevent further environmental
contamination.
Phase I ESA typically includes a detailed
site description, physical setting review
(aerial photographs, interviews, etc.) and a
site reconnaissance visit. Also included is a
hazardous materials review, photographic
documentation and preparation of a
detailed report with appropriate conclusions
and recommendations. ESA work performed
under this standard is typically done at
commercial properties, industrial properties
and any other property having a known
history of environmental issues or for a
property that may have been impacted by
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an adjacent property.
Phase 11 Site Objectives included
determining:
• Levels of volatile emissions
and the impact on nearby
residences
• The nature and the extent
of chemical contamination
at the burnt out site to
include surface and subsurface migration
• And initiating a pre-clean up
mitigation plan with a view
to isolating and securing the
site thereby reducing any
further risk to public
health and the
environment.
A Phase II ESA is most often preceded by
a Phase I ESA, which has identified the
presence or likely presence of
contamination at a site.
A phase II ESA involves sampling, analyzing
and measuring and for that reason is
generally considered an “intrusive
investigation”.
Findings and Results
•
•
•
Soils showed signs of
contamination and distress
Initial gas chromatograph
[GC] and mass
spectrometry [MS] full scan
chemical analysis of
chemicals in the drums
identified the presence of
benzene and benzene
related compounds, esters
and ketones.
Laboratory X-Ray
Fluorescence [XRF] tests
conducted on the solid
chemicals revealed that
Titanium [Ti] was the most
common metal present.
(These and other metal
contaminants – or their
oxidized residues – were
believed to be ingredients of
metal-treating chemicals
and pigments.)
Toxicity Characteristic Leaching
Procedure (TCLP) tests were
conducted on the visibly stained soil
samples in order to verify the absence
of toxic metals for land burial of this
material. The results confirm that TCLP
contaminants for the contaminated/
stained soil samples were well below
detection limits and Environmental
Protection Agency [EPA] Regulatory
levels. [Both Toluene and Benzene
were absent]
What does the TCLP Analysis Show?
The TCLP analysis simulates landfill
conditions. Over time, water and other
liquids percolate through landfills. The
percolating liquid often reacts with the solid
waste in the landfill, and may pose public
and environmental health risks
because of the contaminants it
absorbs. The TCLP analysis determines
which of the contaminants identified by the
EMA are present in the leachate and their
concentrations.
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Site clean up and
restoration
The tasks associated with this phase of
the project included:
1. Removal of contaminated soil
and hazardous material from
the area
2. Treatment and disposal of
hazardous chemicals and
wastes
3. Restoration of the affected area
in order to meet the soil cleanup standards in keeping with
the Ministry of Energy and
Energy Industry’s Guidelines.
Project activities included:
.
.
. Chemical drum
identification and
segregation
. Hazardous waste
treatment and disposal of
both solid and liquid
chemicals
Building demolition
Removal of scrap metal
and other construction
waste
. and the Biological
treatment of waste water
removed from the septic
underground storage tank.
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Site preparation and
worker safety
Prior to each work day, the site was
isolated and warning signs and caution
tape were used to demarcate the work
zone.
The work environment was tested
daily for toxic and flammable gases.
Before the commencement of hot
works, gas monitoring was conducted
daily to detect explosive and
flammable gases.
Throughout the duration of the
project, all the appropriate safety
procedures and personal
protective equipment were
employed for the handling and
treatment of all waste materials
on site.
The restored area was tested and
verified as having met the soil clean
up standards in keeping with the
Ministry of Energy and Energy
Industries [MOEEI] guidelines
This included the use of respirators,
coveralls, full body suits, gloves, head
protection, and eye protection, etc. to
minimise exposure to any toxic
components of the waste.
Daily safety briefings and
discussion of work programs were
conducted by the Site Supervisor with
workers outlining potential issues and/
or hazards associated with the
assignment.
The Petrolab site restoration was
completed with the addition of a final
layer of top soil material.
A decontamination station was set
up for the decontamination of workers
at the end of the work day.
Bringing it all
together
All “hazardous” chemical materials and
contaminated soils were removed from
the Petrolab site and disposed of in an
environmentally safe and acceptable
manner, using environmentally sound
methods.
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On the issue of
Corporate Social
Responsibility [CSR]
Today’s companies may invite
litigation and eventually lose
customers and profits while tarnishing
images if they ignore “corporate social
responsibility” (CSR).
The increased cost of civil and criminal
litigation incurred by companies who do
not embrace environmental concerns is
clearly a risk that that will be always
present. There are additional hidden
costs generally overlooked when a
company refuses to implement CSR
policies.
These include the loss of good staff,
decline in reputation, exposure to
naming and shaming by pressure and
interest groups, decline in stock value
(if listed), increased cost of borrowing,
increased insurance premiums, loss of
good-quality business partners and loss
of customers.
Environmental Management
Authority [EMA]
8 Elizabeth Street, St. Clair
P.O. Box 5071
Port of Spain, Trinidad – W.I.
Telephone: 1-868-628-8042
Fax: 1-868-628-9122
Email: [email protected]
EMA Green Tips
Practice waste reduction. Make a
list of current waste chemicals
and ask, for each item, "Is there
a way I can avoid producing this
waste?" Try to reduce the
toxicity and amount of waste
generated.
Consider the following:
Replace toxic raw materials with
non-toxic raw materials
wherever possible.
Replace toxic operational
supplies, such as cleaners and
solvents, with non-toxic
materials wherever possible.
Improve production process
efficiency so that less raw
material ends up as waste that
must be disposed. Reuse
samples in production.
Encourage employees to think
"waste reduction." Better yet,
include them in the planning
process - they have good ideas.
Give them an economic incentive
to reduce waste.
Reuse process by-products and
wastes as raw materials, either
on-site or in another company's
process.
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