In October 2010, EPA conducted a fund-lead removal action of radium contaminated soil.
Provided site update for upcoming EPA meeting.
The former Instruments, Inc., (II) radium dial shop facility had a licensed location of 205 East Lewis Street in Wichita, Kansas. The company was incorporated in 1963. The facility was in operation repairing aircraft instruments (including some with radium dials and faces) at the licensed location from apparently as early as 1967 to as late as 1990 under the name Instruments, Inc., (II). KDHEs Bureau of Air and Radiation (BAR) granted a conditional license to II permitted at this location with issuance of license #25-R179-01 on October 3, 1967. No detectable radiation was found during a closeout survey (focusing on internal building contamination) conducted in 1990.
This UFA revealed evidence of the following Recognized Environmental Conditions in connection with the property: 1) Concentrations of radium-226 are elevated in soils from one linear rectangular area (approximately ten foot by two foot) located south and abutting the south building wall of the former II facility located at 205 East Lewis Street; 2) Cadmium and lead is present in the soil in concentrations exceeding their respective residential RSK standards from the same elevated radium-226 location; 3) PCE was detected in all ground water samples, and in the background sample the concentration exceeded its MCL concentration. Also the UFA has revealed evidence of the following Historical Recognized Environmental Conditions (HREC) in connection with the property: 1) Radioactive material licensing was issued for operations that included having possession of radium bearing instruments. The license restricted the amount of time of possession for the handling of radium dial instruments. Radium dial instrument stripping and painting repairs were not licensed for this facility.
A radiological surface soil survey of the commercial complex of the former II facility using the Ludlum meter was conducted on March 19, 2007. The survey included the areas close to the building, the paved parking lot and right-of-way, and soil/grass/paved areas mainly south and west of the building. One area paralleling the southern edge of the building (on the western portion) had elevated readings for radiation. The highest surface reading recorded was 23 microroentgens per hour (µR/hr). A shallow soil sample from area of elevated radiation had the highest concentration of radium-226 indicated at 67 pCi/g. The EPA/NRC MOU screening level for radium-226 in both residential and non-residential soils is 5 pCi/g (plus background, which for this site is approximately 1.44 pCi/g). A cadmium concentration of 39.4 mg/Kg, exceeding the cadmium residential soil pathway Risk-based Standards for Kansas (RSK) value of 39 mg/Kg, was recorded from this location in soil. From the same soil sample lead was detected at 624 mg/Kg exceeding the lead residential soil pathway RSK standard of 400 mg/Kg. Trichloroethylene (TCE) was detected in all samples in concentrations below its residential and nonresidential federal MCL value with the exception of the background sample; however, TCE contamination in groundwater appear to be attributable to the GM site which is being addressed by the City of Wichita under a KDHE consent agreement for the Gilbert-Mosely (GM) area.
KDHE was unable to negotiate a Consent Order with the potentially responsible party (PRP). Consequently, the site was referred to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for removal action. In May 2011, EPA conducted a fund-lead removal action of radium contaminated soil. |