For Site Description and Background Information, please refer to previous POLREPs.
The following activities took place during this reporting period:
Morning Activities:
• After leaving the home to vent throughout the night, crews arrived on site at 730 and EPA with START conducted a screen of the home and found levels1 to 2 ug/m3 in breathing zone throughout house and less than 1 ug/m3 in the laundry room.
• Mercury beads were observed in the window sills of the back bedroom.
• A screen of the freezer in the kitchen turned up a reading of 22 ug/m3. The freezer was removed from the home and placed outside to vent.
• Readings in the kitchen cabinet read 10 ug/m3.
• The washing machine read 7 ug/m3.
• ERRS continued removal operations including vacuuming up floors as well as window sills and sliding door tracks; removing remaining base boards which were wrapped in plastic and placed outside to vent.
• Lumex screening of furniture staged outside on plastic ranged from 1 to 2 ug/m3 on the legs of some chairs. They will be left outside to continue to vent.
• Lumex screening of small pickup truck read 15 ug/m3 on passenger seat. Further cleanup of this vehicle will be required.
Mid Day Activities:
• ERRS continued removal operations including scrubbing floors with sulfate solution.
• After lunch ERRS stopped ventilating the house and closed it up to try and get a feel for what levels are still in the house.
Afternoon Activities:
• After closing the house for approximately one hour, levels in the house were at 20 ug/m3 in breathing zone throughout house with the highest readings in kitchen and TV room. Other readings were up to 50 ug/m on the floor with the highest along the baseboards.
• There is also a deep freezer in the laundry room. Screening turned up a level of 45 ug/m3 upon opening.
• ERRS moved furniture (couch, recliner chairs, armoires, etc) from carport into conex box for additional venting.
• Furniture (primarily chairs and small tables) previously staged on plastic outside was moved to carport (Lumex screening was below 1 ug/m3).
• ERRS began pulling all linoleum flooring out of house down to concrete (See Planned Actions).
• After defrosting and venting, Lumex reading on kitchen refrigerator was reduced to 2 ug/m3.
The following activities are planned for the next reporting period:
• ERRS crews will continue to remove the linoleum from the residence in all rooms down to the concrete.
• Once the linoleum is removed START along with ERRS will look for any visible mercury on the floor and vacuum as needed.
• An investigation will also be made into the cabinets in the kitchen to see if any mercury was swept under them.
• The floor will then be washed with merc-x and then re-screened.
• If levels do not drop to acceptable levels, it may be necessary to cap the concrete with an epoxy paint.
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