The Site is a former paint and varnish manufacturing facility located in an industrial area at 29-47 Riverside Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. The Site was listed on the Superfund National Priorities List in May 2013. The address is divided into several properties, either currently operational or abandoned, within the industrial park. The area of concern for this removal action is an abandoned portion of the Site bordered to the north by other buildings of the industrial park, to the west U.S. Route 21 (McCarter Highway), and to the east by the Passaic River. The approximately one and one-half acre property includes two abandoned multi-story industrial buildings designated as Buildings #7 and #12. The City of Newark is the current owner of record of this property. Building #7 is the location of the for the action being conducted for RV5.
During RV 4 removal action activities (removal of ACM piles dumped outside the buildings), the OSC noticed that Building #7 had been accessed by vandals and trespassers and was being used for shelter and other illicit activities. Building #7 was the site of removal activities during RV 3 including the removal of tanks and drums of hazardous substances, cleanup of a basement full of hazardous liquid and sludge and an ACM encapsulation action. Specifically, approximately 2000 linear feet friable asbestos containing pipe insulation was contained in plastic wrap to prevent the migration asbestos fibers from the degrading insulation material. RV3 removal activities took place between 2011 and 2014. During the removal of the ACM piles as part of RV4 in October 2017, the OSC observed that the encapsulation remedy employed during RV3 for the pipe insulation in Building #7 was no longer protective. Due to vandalism and the impact of weather the plastic wrap has fallen away from many sections of the pipe insulation exposing the degrading ACM pipe wrap to the open air on all 3 floors. The roof on Building #7 is leaking severely and rainwater is pouring into the building. Over time this has caused the failure of the encapsulation material. The building is open to trespassers and open windows, doors wall areas and roof sections could allow friable asbestos to escape to the outside environment.
Sampling results of the pipe insulation collected in Building #7 in June 2010 indicated varying amounts of asbestos fibers. The percentage of chrysotile asbestos fibers reported in four bulk samples collected from the degrading pipe insulation in Building #7 ranged from non-detectable amounts to 70%. All ACM is observed to be in friable condition.
The sampling results, along with field observations made by EPA indicate that conditions at the Site meet the criteria for a removal action under CERCLA, as documented in Section 300.415(b)(2) of the National Contingency Plan.
