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Beta Chem Laboratory

All POL/SITREP's for this site Beta Chem Laboratory
Lenexa, KS - EPA Region VII
POLREP #18
Final POLREP
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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Beta Chem Laboratory - Removal Polrep
Final Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region VII

Subject: POLREP #18
Final POLREP
Beta Chem Laboratory
B783
Lenexa, KS
Latitude: 38.9473349 Longitude: -94.7535919


To:
From: Doug Ferguson, OSC
Date: 3/6/2015
Reporting Period: 10/17/2014-3/6/2015

1. Introduction
  1.1 Background
   
Site Number: B783    Contract Number: EP-S7-13-05
D.O. Number: 0029    Action Memo Date: 4/17/2014
Response Authority: CERCLA    Response Type: Time-Critical
Response Lead: EPA    Incident Category: Removal Action
NPL Status: Non NPL    Operable Unit:
Mobilization Date: 5/5/2014    Start Date: 5/5/2014
Demob Date: 3/6/2015    Completion Date: 3/6/2015
CERCLIS ID: KSN000705028    RCRIS ID:
ERNS No.:    State Notification: State Referred the Site
FPN#:    Reimbursable Account #:

1.1.1 Incident Category

Time-Critical Removal Action of hazardous substances, including assessment for radiation contamination.

1.1.2 Site Description

Beta Chem Laboratory is a defunct radio-pharmaceutical synthesis lab.

1.1.2.1 Location

The Site is located at 14410 West 100th Street, Lenexa, Johnson County, Kansas. The Site is located in an industrial park. The Site is within a portion of a building in the Noon Industrial Park. 

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

See POLREP number 1.
 
1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

See POLREP number 1.


2. Current Activities
  2.1 Operations Section
    2.1.1 Narrative

A total of 1,134 chemical containers have been inventoried at the Site, most of which had intact labels believed to accurately reflect their contents. Of these 1,134 containers, 276 had handwritten, indecipherable or missing labels. The contents of these containers were field screened and assigned hazard groups based on their properties. Virtually all of the surfaces in the lab, including the chemical containers, have elevated counts of radiation as measured with the Ludlum 2241 Meter equipped with a 44-9 "pancake" probe. Additionally, several radiation source materials were identified and segregated at the Site. Liquid scintillation testing of the contents of containers confirmed a number of the chemicals have radioactive contamination mixed in with them. 

Air monitoring results did not detect significant concentrations of volatile organic compounds as measured with a photoionization detector. Additionally, the oxygen concentrations were found to remain constant at 20.9% and the percent of the lower explosive limit was zero. There were no significant detections of airborne radiation contamination in samples collected onto air filters counted by the Ludlum Model 3030 Drawer Alpha-Beta Counter. 

Once the hazardous wastes located at the site were characterized for chemical and radiological content, appropriate facilities were chosen and wastes were transported off-site for disposal.   Four shipments of waste were removed from the site over the course of the response action.  In total, roughly 741 pounds of hazardous waste were shipped off-site for disposal.  An additional 614 pounds of low-level radioactively contaminated investigational wastes were transported off-site for disposal. 

The final waste shipment occurred on March 6, 2015.  On March 9, 2015, a final site walk-through was conducted with representatives of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Lenexa, Kansas Fire Department.  The building was secured and keys to access the facility were returned to KDHE.  No further response actions are planned for the site at this time.

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

Actions conducted during the period of October 17, 2014-March 6, 2015:

  • 36 drum liner bags of investigation-derived wastes were sampled and characterized for disposal
  • A 24-cubic-yard roll-off box of investigation-derived wastes contaminated with carbon-14 were transported from the site for disposal at US Ecology in Grandview, Idaho.
2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potential Responsible Parties (PRPs)

PRPs have been identified for the Site, including the operator of the facility and the owners of the building.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

The waste streams for the Site are listed below. 



  2.2 Planning Section
    2.2.1 Anticipated Activities


2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities


2.2.1.2 Next Steps

Secure site.

2.2.2 Issues

N/A

  2.3 Logistics Section
   
N/A

  2.4 Finance Section
    No information available at this time.

  2.5 Other Command Staff
    2.5.1 Safety Officer

Doug Ferguson

2.5.2 Liaison Officer

2.5.3 Information Officer

Christopher  Whitley

3. Participating Entities
  3.1 Unified Command

N/A

3.2 Cooperating Agencies

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

4. Personnel On Site
 
Doug Ferguson, EPA OSC
1 START contractor
2 ERRS contractors

5. Definition of Terms
  No information available at this time.

6. Additional sources of information
  No information available at this time.

7. Situational Reference Materials
  No information available at this time.