In May 2002, the Norwood Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Unit, concerned about the number of containers, drums, and cylinders left behind in a defunct scrap metal/metal recycling facility at 61 Endicott Street in Norwood, requested assistance from the MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP then asked the EPA Emergency Planning and Response Branch (EPRB) to investigate the Site and conduct a removal action as necessary.
On August 21, 2002, EPA and its contractor, Weston Solutions, performed a preliminary assessment/ site investigation (PA/SI) at the Zimble Site. Four of the five on-site buildings were accessed with little difficulty, either through damaged doors or windows, or holes in the walls. According to the Fire Department and the town building inspector, the company has not been active at the Site for approximately ten years and unauthorized access has been a problem. There have been three small fires set on the Site and neighbors have repeatedly called to report vagrants in and around the buildings. The fire suppression system within the buildings is no longer in operation.
There were approximately 100 containers scattered throughout the five buildings. These included seven compressed gas cylinders, eight capacitors with ‘Pyranol’ labels, indicative of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) containing oil, a number of 55-gallon drums, and various sized smaller containers. Some of the cylinders were unlabeled, and they may have been full and pressurized. Many of the 55-gallon drums were labeled as containing oil and/or an oil-like product, but they did not appear to be virgin drums. Other container labels indicated the presence of sulfuric acid and mercury. During the PA/SI, samples were collected from four containers. One of them flashed at 23 degrees celcius, displaying the characteristic of ignitability and classifying it as a RCRA hazardous waste. This same sample contained reactive sulfide and a number of hazardous substances, including Methylene Chloride, 2-Butanone (methyl ethyl ketone) and 4-Methyl-2-Pentanone. Two of the other samples contained lesser concentrations of some of the same hazardous substances. There was evidence of staining and possible spillage in the vicinity of some of the drums.
Also during the PA/SI, six surface soil samples were collected from easily accessible locations, one for asbestos analysis only, and the other five for assorted parameters. Four of these soil samples contained lead higher than the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) S-1 soil standard (one of these was two orders of magnitude higher), and two of the five contained assorted semi-volatile organic compounds (Benzo(a)anthracene, Benzo(a)pyrene) above the MCP S-1 standards. Three of the samples contained <1% chrysotile asbestos and one of the samples contained 2.3% chrysotile asbestos.
