The former Toastmaster
Clarence site is located at 211 Old Highway 36 in Clarence, Missouri. It
operated as a manufacturing facility of small fans from
the 1950s to the early 2000s, with use of trichloroethylene (TCE) as
a degreasing solvent. The facility ceased operations in the early 2000s. The site is currently owned and occupied by Show Me
Alternatives Manufacturing.
A
Phase I and II Targeted Brownfield Assessment was
conducted at the facility by a Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) contractor in
July of 2006 to identify environmental conditions at the property. The assessment
concluded that volatile organic compounds (VOC), including TCE, were detected in the groundwater, but that
TCE was the only constituent above the Missouri risk-based corrective action default target levels. The assessment
recommended the developers to clean up the spills from previous manufacturing
uses of TCE.
A
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment was conducted in 2019 by a private
consulting firm. The Phase I assessment concluded that further investigation
was warranted based on the information collected.
In June of 2022, MoDNR referred the site to EPA for assessment of chlorinated
solvent releases at the site. EPA conducted a sampling event in July 2023 to
investigate soil-gas and groundwater along the perimeter of the former
Toastmaster Clarence facility. The sampling was part of a "removal site evaluation" related to the past release of TCE at the site. As a result of the
sampling, EPA found elevated levels of TCE and TCE degradation products
within 50 feet of nearby residences.
In December of 2023, the EPA conducted indoor air and sub-slab gas
sampling in homes and businesses near the former Toastmaster
Clarence Facility. As a result of the sampling, the EPA found one residence
with indoor air samples containing levels of TCE above the removal management level (RML). TCE detections were reported in sub-slab and crawl space samples, confirming
a complete exposure pathway.
In July of 2024, a vapor intrusion (VI) mitigation system was installed in the residence where the exceedance had been discovered. A follow-up indoor air confirmation sample was collected on August of 2024 and reported levels below the EPA RMLs for PCE and/or TCE. This completed all planned Removal Action activities.
