At 1615 hours on 10/29/08 EPA received a notification from the NRC that a chemical release was occurring at Abrachem Chemical, a bulk chemical packaging facility that leased a building in Clifton, Passaic County, NJ. The NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection was on-scene and requested EPA's presence.
At 1730 hours OSC Ellen Banner and OSC Paul Kahn responded to the scene. The company was found to be storing drums and bulk containers of known and unknown chemicals in 17 56-foot long intermodal shipping carriers (ISCs), stacked 3 tiers high (approx. 35 feet). Only 5 of the ISCs could be opened, and inside those it was observed that drums and bulk containers were staged behind tiers of empty poly drums, giving the impression that the ISCs were used for new drum storage. EPA observed that in the one ISC where the release originated at least one drum was leaking its contents onto a wooden pallet; strong chemical odors emanated from the open door of the ISC and were also pervasive in the general area.
The Operator of Abrachem retained the services of a remediation company, and contractor personnel were advised to lay poly sheeting and begin removing and overpacking the leaking and unknown drums that were readily accessible. Work commenced almost immediately, but at 2100 hours was halted due to lack of adequate lighting and inability to phyusically access the majority of the drums through the narrow doorway.
The Operator of Abrachem and the Owner of the property was issued a Field Expedient Notice, and in response the Operator stated he would initiate a removal action. When his efforts to respond to the release, and threats of a release, proved to be inadequate EPA sought voluntary access to initiate a response action. This access was denied on two occasions. On 12/4/2008 EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) for access. The Operator refused to comply with the UAO and EPA referred the matter to the Department of Justice for a legal remedy. On 1/8/2009 a federal Magistrate issued an access warrant to EPA to initiate a response action at the Site.
Removal activities fully resumed. Haz-cating is nearing completion and should be finished by 5/8/2009. ERRS continues to overpacking approx. 1,500 small containers (5 gal and less) of Decor Inc. paint and paint-related chemicals into Gaylord boxes.
Tech Rep for Decor was on-site on 4/30 to oversee packing. He has the signed disposal profiles, and tentative shipping for incineration of as many as 40 cubic yard boxes of this waste is tentatively set for the week of May 4th, at no cost to the government)
On 4/28/2009 250 kg of a poisonous chemical pigment was returned to the original supplier for reuse at no cost to the government. On the same day reps from BASF and it's T & D broker visited the Site to document the condition of their drums and to discuss how they will remove a drum of hydrated boron trifluoride (BF3), a corrosive and toxic chemical.
Monson Industries (Leominster, RI) requested haz-cat data for their 7 drums of toluene di-isocyanate (TDI). Also at Monson's request, a sample of their TDI was transported to a potential end-user in Newark, NJ.
ERRS has begun to lab-pack small containers of chemicals, including ammonium persulfate, methanol, and various acids into cubic yard boxes for disposal. ERRS has also begun to cut poly drums for disposal and make arrangements for T & D of 20 cu. yds. of used PPE.
Other companies whose chemicals were discovered at the Site are actively making arrangements for disposal or retrieval of their chemicals.
Continue overpacking Decor Inc. waste paint and chemicals. Continue coordinating with chemical suppliers to retrieve their chemicals.
BASF will send a technical team to the Site on 5/4 to begin labeling their drums and scope-out a plan to transfer the BF3 into a sound container for T & D. All this will be done at no cost to the government.
On 5/5/2009 a rep from Monsanto (St. Louis) will be on-Site to document the condition of 133 drums of ortho-nitro-chloro-benzene in preparation for Monsanto shipping their drums for disposal or reuse.
On 5/5 a rep from GE/Sabik Plastics will be on-Site to begin labeling their drums and prep them for T & D.
On 5/7/2009 personnel with the Passaic County Sheriff, in close coordination with the Clifton Fire Department, will use a bomb squad robot to open and sample one of two drums of (Bergerac Chemical) dry nitrocellulose. A high-hazard team from Clean Harbors Inc. will be on-Site to hydrate both drums and ship them for T & D. This is being done at no cost to the government.
See above.
See above.
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