For Site Description and Background Information, please refer to preious POLREPs.
ERRS and START met the EPA OSC at the Site at approximately 730 and began to remove the furniture and other large items from the home on Tatum Salt dome Rd. ERRS crews then entered the residence and began removing the visible mercury with mercury absorbing powder and filtered vacuums. Furniture and personal items were removed from the residence and placed either in the carport that was enclosed with plastic for the use of heaters to “bake” off mercury or outside on plastic sheeting to ventilate. At the end of the day the home was closed and fans were placed in the windows to help ventilation. The levels dropped from the 20 ug/m3 recorded earlier, but are still anywhere from 2 to 15 ug/m3 in the home. On 8/3/2007, ERRS crews will continue to scrub the house. some removal of baseboards and tile/linoleum may be necessary to remove all of the mercury from the home.
During the cleanup at the home on Tatum Salt dome Rd., EPA with START mobilized to a home located at 123 Mopar Lane in Columbia, MS. This home is where the child responsible for spreading the mercury lives with his mom, sister and younger brother. The ages of the children are 10, 8, and 2. Air monitoring in the breathing zone showed mercury levels ranging from 11ug/m3 to 15 ug/m3. A potential source was located in the clothes hamper in the bathroom, which showed mercury levels of 35 ug/m3 in the air just above it. The homeowners were offered relocation and accepted. Prior to vacating the premises, clothing was screened. Several bags showed levels above the 10 ug/m3 screening level for contaminated items, and were allowed to vent in the sun until the levels dropped.
The family vehicle was also screened (0.45 ug/m3) as well as an RV located on the property, in which one of the children occasionally sleeps. The RV was found to contain breathing zone levels of 0.45 ug/m3, and two small areas, a seat cushion and a spot on the floor, were found to have levels greater than 1 ug/m3. The RV was opened and allowed to naturally vent. It will be rechecked tomorrow.
The ambient air was rechecked after the homeowner had vacated the property. Ambient breathing zone levels were found to be at 1.6 ug/m3.
At the home on Bilbo Rd., the couch that was reading 50 ug/m3 on 8/1/07 was moved outside the home. The windows were opened and fans put in to help ventilation. A further assessment of this home will be conducted in the future.
Another home was also screened at the request of the homeowner who had helped clean the mercury at the home on Tatum Salt Dome Rd. His home read below the Action Level of 1 ug/m3. However, the washing machine did read high, 12 ug/m3, and will need to either be cleaned or replaced.
EPA CIC support also arrived on 8/2/2007 to help with relocated families.
The following activities will take place during the next reportin period:
-ERRS will continue to work on bringing vapor levels down in the home on Tatum Salt Dome Rd.
-When more ERRS mobilize in, they will be used to start cleaning the house on Mopar Lane.
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