NCD980602163_19880613_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Fact Sheet to Rep Thomas Hardaway of the 7th District-OCR

North Carolina Department of Human Resources
Division of Health Services
P.O. Box 2091 • Raleigh, North Carolina 27602-2091
James G. Martin, Governor
David T. Flaherty, Secretary Ronald H. Levine, M.D., M.P.H.
State Health Director
June 13, 1988
Representative Thomas Hardaway
7th District -Halifax County
207 McDaniel Street
Enfield, North Carolina 27832
Dear Representative Hardaway:
Enclosed is a fact sheet on the State PCB Landfill located in
Warren County. If you have any additional questions please contact
me at 733-2178.
Sincerely,
~cf.~
William L. Meyer, Chief
Solid Waste Management Section
PCB LANDFILL FACT SHEET
The State owned PCB Landfill in Warren County, North Carolina is
located on a 142 acre tract of land located just off State Road 1604.
The actual containment area occupies approximately two and one-half
acres. The landfill is 24 feet thick and contains 40,000 cubic yards
of PCB-laden soil with an average contamination level of 125 parts
per million.
PCB's are extremely persistent and resist both biological and
chemical decomposition. It is estimated that PCB's have a half-life
in soils of approximately 60 years. PCB's are stable up to
temperatures approaching 1600 degrees Fa,hrenheit. They are
relatively insoluble in water and evaporate very slowly.
PCB's accumulate in the fatty tissue of both humans and animals.
Acute human health effects include a skin rash known as chloracne and
liver damage. In studies on animals, PCB's were shown to cause an
extremely high rate of embryonic death. Chronic effects may include
an increased cancer risk and behavioral changes.
Persons working on or around the site are in little danger as long as
the top cover and plastic liner remain intact. During monthly
inspections, the soil cover layer is checked for erosion and the
presence of tree saplings, which have roots that could eventually
damage the top cover and synthetic liner.
The most significant impact that the landfill has on Warren County is
the taking of approximately 20 acres of land (this includes the
containment area and the buffer zone surrounding it) out of
agricultural production for an indefinite period of time. The
remaining 122 acres have been deeded to Warren County. The county
may lease a portion or all of the 122 acres for agricultural or other
compatible land uses.
The Solid Waste Management Section is responsible for monitoring
water quality at the landfill two times each year. This includes
sampling four ground water monitoring wells which surround the site
and sampling Richneck Creek both upstream and downstream of the
landfill. These samples are analyzed at the State Laboratory of
Public Health for the presence of PCB. To date, the PCB landfill has
had no detrimental effect on water quality in the region.