EPA is continuing emergency removal actions at this site during the repackaging, transportation, and removal of flammable magnesium materials. Magnesium generators, who previously supplied Remacor with recyclable magnesium and magnesium alloys, are removing their materials from the site. Winters Performance Products, Inc. has plans to be on site the last week of November or the first week of December to begin shipping their material. MJ Metals of Bridgeport, CT, is coordinating with the EPA to be on site for drum identification and count in November. AIM has resumed shipping their material to Magpro, Camden, TN and wants to have their material off site by the end of November.
EPA’s ERRS contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc. (GES) continues to segregate oversized material from the burn pile and relocate drums of materials in Building 9. PADEP is providing technical and oversight support at the site. EPA START contractor TechLaw is providing technical and administrative support to EPA. EPA and PADEP officials continue to control access to the site in addition to coordinating the activities of the various generators.
Personnel On-Scene:
10/30/07 EPA-2, PADEP-1, START-2, ERRS-8, Other-1, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/31/07 EPA-1, PADEP-1, START-2, ERRS-8, Security-1 (24 hr)
Weather:
10/30/07 Low of 37° F, high of 61° F. Clear, 0.00 inches of precipitation, wind Morning Calm, Afternoon SSW 8-9 mph.
10/31/07 Low of 37° F, high of 66° F. Scattered clouds, 0.00 inches of precipitation, wind SSW 8-23 mph.
10/30/07
PADEP Mariruth Hoffman mobilized to site to change filters on the high volume air samplers and assist in oversight of operations. PADEP Hoffman demobilized.
START attended the morning safety meeting held by EPA, ERRS contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc. ERRS prepped the RAD pile area and resumed sifting and loading of drums with the sifted RAD material. ERRS segregated large debris (bricks and concrete blocks) and the finer material was packaged into 55-gallon drums.
Data Ram #1 and Data Ram #2 as well as the PDR ran today the readings were all below 0.050 ug/m3 TWA. The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 is 15 mg/m3 TWA.
START mobilized to site, assisted as needed and conducted written/photographic documentation, and monitored activities conducted on site.
10/31/07
American Iron & Metals (AIM) subcontractor MHF Logistical Solutions was on site to prepare and ship 1 truckload of AIMs material. MHF removed water from the super sacks used as over-packs for 55-gallon drums. The load consisted of 6 Pallets @ 8 drums/pallet, 3Pallets @ 3 drums/pallet, 10 Pallets @ 2drums/pallet, 2 Pallets @ 2 drums/pallet for a total of 81 drums with an estimated weight of 30,000 pounds. The load was transported by Celadon Trucking, Indianapolis, IN to the receiving facility Magpro, Camden, TN.
OSC Downie mobilized to site and oversaw activities as well as site control and access.
PADEP Hoffman mobilized to site to assist the EPA in oversight of operations. PADEP Hoffman and START collected samples from various locations near the burn pile area. PADEP Hoffman used an IR instrument to compare and classify the samples.
START attended the morning safety meeting held by EPA’s ERRS contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc. ERRS continued with its packaging operations of the RAD pile on Slab #3 the operation consisted of sifting and packing the sifted material into 55-gallon drums. The oversized material was staged for future bulk transport off site.
Data Ram #1 and Data Ram #2 as well as the PDR ran today the readings were all below 0.050 ug/m3 TWA. The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 is 15 mg/m3 TWA.
START assisted as needed, conducted written and photographic documentation, and monitored activities conducted on site.
Intermet is making plans to resume shipping their product off site.
MJ Metals (generator) is making arrangements to start identifying, repackaging as needed, and removing their product in November, 2007.
EPA will continue to coordinate with magnesium waste generators for the safe and appropriate removal of the material from the site. EPA will continue to coordinate with all local, state, and federal agencies.
There are approximately 15 fire debris piles located on slab #3 that constitute the remains of a 68,000 square foot building that was destroyed during the Remacor fire on August 6, 2005. The piled fire debris contains construction material intermixed with charred, damaged and deteriorated drums containing reactive magnesium fines and oxides and other process alloys or materials. The nature of the reactive materials mixed with building debris requires careful handling and segregation while increasing the risk of a fire due to exposing once-buried materials to the elements. EPA is in the process of slowly segregating the first of these piles. The magnesium-based oxides and fines that are segregated from oversized building debris are being managed on site in order to make them safer to handle. The West Pittsburg Fire Chief has been informed that EPA has started handling of these piles.
There are drums of magnesium fines that are not vented and pose a threat of combustion. One drum has already exploded and caught fire. Efforts are underway to stabilize these drums that are staged on the truck-scale slab at the site.
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