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Remacor, Inc.

All POLREP's for this site Remacor, Inc.
West Pittsburg, PA - EPA Region III
POLREP #81 - Removal Action
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On-Scene Coordinator - Jack Downie 11/7/2007
Emergency - Removal Action Pollution Report (POLREP) #81
Start Date: 9/15/2006
Pollution Report (POLREP) #81
Site Description
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 no later than the end of November.

EPA’s ERRS contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc. (GES) has moved its operation to burn pile 2 & 3.  Before reacting the material in the reaction pit GES has to  empty drums from the piles which may contain material that may not have been reacted.    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.  


Current Activities
Personnel On-Scene:
11/06/07 EPA-2, PADEP-1, START-2, ERRS-8, AIM-2, AmeriGas-2, Security-1 (24 hr)
11/07/07 EPA-2, PADEP-1, START-2, ERRS-8, AIM-3, Other-2, Security-1 (24 hr)

Weather:
11/06/07 Low of 33° F, high of 40° F.  Overcast, 0.00 inches of precipitation, wind WSW 10 mph.
11/07/07 Low of 32° F, high of 38° F.  Light Snow, 0.00 inches of precipitation,  wind W 3-11 mph.

11/06/07
American Iron & Metals (AIM) subcontractor was on site to ship 2 loads of AIM material.  Each load consisted of 13 pallets @ 8 drums/pallet with an estimated weight of 30,000 pounds.  The loads were transported by Landair, Greenville, TN and Celadon, Indianapolis, IN with the consigner being Magpro, Camden, TN.

EPA’s OSC Jack Downie and Marjorie Easton maintained a presence on site to oversee activities and site entrance.

PADEP Mariruth Hoffman mobilized to site to change filters on the High Volume Air Samplers and assist the EPA in site control and operations.  PADEP Hoffman demobilized.

START attended the morning safety meeting held by EPA, ERRS contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc.  ERRS moved back to burn pile #1. ERRS is sifting the pile and transporting it to the reaction pit where water is added in order to make the material inert for future transportation off site.  Once the material is inert it is moved to a holding area to begin drying.  When the material is dry enough for transport it is moved east of the DeOxSulf building and staged in 15 ton piles until it can be removed from site.

The TWA for Data Ram #1 was 12.2 ug/m3, Data Ram #2 TWA was 28.2 ug/m3, and the PDR’s TWA was 0.006 mg/m3.  The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 is 15 mg/m3 TWA.  
START continues to assist the EPA as needed, conduct written/photographic documentation, and monitor activities conducted on site.  

11/07/07
American Iron & Metals (AIM) subcontractor was on site to ship 1loads of AIM material.  The load consisted of 41 drums with an estimated weight of 9,000 pounds.  The load was transported by Von Roll America, Inc, East Liverpool,OH and consigned to Von Roll America, Inc.

EPA’s OSC Jack Downie and Marjorie Easton maintained a presence on site to oversee activities and site entrance.  OSC Easton demobilized.

PADEP Mariruth Hoffman mobilized to assist the EPA in site control and operations.  PADEP Hoffman demobilized.

START attended the morning safety meeting held by EPA’s ERRS contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc.  ERRS completed burn pile #1 and will be moving to burn pile #2 on 11/08/07.  All material from burn pile #1 has been sifted and reacted and is being moved to the holding area east of DeOxSulf building.  The area where burn pile #1 was located has been cleaned and will be used to spread out the more volatile material in burn pile #2.

The TWA of Data Ram #1 was 14.1, Data Ram #2s TWA was 12.8 ug/m3, and the PDR’s TWA was 0.064 mg/m3.  The OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 is 15 mg/m3 TWA.  
START continues to assist the EPA as needed, conduct written/photographic documentation, and monitor activities conducted on site.  


Next Steps
American Iron & Metal (AIM) plans to ship its last load (over-packs) off site the week of 11/12/07.

Intermet has submitted a tentative schedule to resume shipping by 12/01/07 and complete the task by 01/30/08.

Winter Performance Products, Inc’s tentative schedule is to begin shipment of its product off site the 3rd week in November.

SPX Contech also has a tentative schedule to begin shipment of its product off site the 3rd week of November.

MJ Metals (generator) has plans to be on site the week of 11/12/07 to repackage its material for transport off site.  

EPA START contractor TechLaw, Inc. is presently preparing a comprehensive sampling plan and plans to begin sampling the last week two weeks of November.



Key Issues
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.