Wire fluff is the plastic sheathing used to cover and/or insulate electrical wire and is a waste product associated with recycling scrap wire. Once the scrap electrical wire is stripped of its metallic core, the plastic sheathing is typically chopped into small pieces, primarily to facilitate its handling during storage/disposal.
During assessment activity for the 35th Avenue Site, the pile was discovered and access for sampling gained. Due to the non-residential nature of the property, the property was removed from the 35th Avenue site and assessed independently.
The 41st Avenue Fluff Pile site hosts a pile of wire fluff estimated to weight 40,000 tons. The pile is 60 feet high and covers 120,000 square feet, about 3 acres. The remainder of the 7-acre site is covered with a thin veneer of fluff, which forms a spongy but matted roadbed surface, akin to the compaction action of tire chips.
Both XRF and laboratory sampling indicated elevated lead levels concentrated in 2 small areas on the property, confined to a layer of soil beneath a covering of fluff. This soil rests on a concrete-hard layer of an unknown waste product. The owner has initiated a contract with another firm to remove the fluff from the site and convert it into usable petroleum products. As a consequence, access to the contaminated areas is limited. There is a possibility that additional lead-contaminated areas rest beneath the 3 acre pile.
