Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) in East Chicago, Indiana
This web page was last updated on January 29, 2003.
ACTUAL AIR MONITORING DATA (CDF-3)
This table (with clarifying statements below) reports ACTUAL AIR MONITORING DATA as recorded by date at East Chicago Central High School. This data was recorded BEFORE any construction activity took place at the ECI site,
which is the proposed site for the CDF.
These actual recorded amounts are listed by chemical, and in comparison to the reporting limit [the threshold at which a laboratory can detect these chemicals (can also be referred to as the "detection level")], and the median
amount, which is provided by the US Army Corps of Engineers over the entire length of time they were recording this data. Median data refers to that amount which is at 50% of all data: half of the results are lower, and half
are higher. ALL DATA WAS OBTAINED FROM THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS' WEB SITE--direct links located below, so you can see the original data from which these data were selected. Health data, which is referenced below this
table, was NOT
provided by the Army Corps of Engineers.
| Chemical (common name in bold; class of
chemical in plain type)--KNOWN HEALTH EFFECTS HEREIN IN BOLD; Suspected health effects are at CDF-2. |
Reporting Limit |
Median amount (i.e., mid-range of all reports:
half are lower, half are higher) detected at East Chicago High School Between
November 2001-July 2002 |
Actual Recorded Level at East Chicago Central High School by Date (all dates are 2002--Highest recorded scores for each chemical are listed in bold): |
| Benzene (a volatile organic compound or VOC)
HEALTH EFFECTS: Recognized Carcinogen, Recognized
Developmental Toxicant, & Recognized Reproductive Toxicant
|
.20 ppb (parts per billion) |
.28 ppb |
.60: July 19
.24: July 25
.31: July 31
.22: August 6
Below reporting limit: August 12
.64: August 18 |
| Toluene (VOC)
HEALTH EFFECTS: Recognized Developmental Toxicant
|
.30 ppb |
.44 ppb |
1.6: July 19
.88: July 25
.82: July 31
.32: August 6
.32: August 12
1.3: August 18
|
| m-Xylene & p-Xylene (VOC)
HEALTH EFFECTS: No known detrimental health effects--only suspected.
|
.50 ppb |
.51 ppb |
Chemical recordings did not reach reporting levels on these testing dates |
| Fluorene (a polyaromatic hydrocarbon
or PAH)
HEALTH EFFECTS: No known detrimental health effects--only suspected.
|
1.3 - 3.37 (ng/scm) |
4.03 |
22.52: July 1
27.97 July 7
27.85 July 13
11.41 July 19 |
| Naphthalene (PAH)
HEALTH EFFECTS: Recognized Carcinogen
|
5.12-7.95 (ng/scm) |
57.20 |
54.77: July 1
86.06: July 7
128.13: July 13
54.05: July 19
|
| Phenanthrene (PAH)
HEALTH EFFECTS: No known detrimental health effects--only suspected.
|
1.3-3.37 (ng/scm) |
7.19 |
48.69: July 1
55.32: July 7
39.00: July 13
20.42: July 19 |
| PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
HEATH EFFECTS: Recognized Carcinogen; Recognized
Developmental Toxicant
|
PCB 8: 2.56-3.98 pg/scm
PCB 15: 2.56-3.98 pg/scm
PCB 18: 2.56-3.98 pg/scm
PCB 28: 2.56-3.98 pg/scm
PCB 31: 2.56-3.98 pg/scm
|
PCB 8: 15.55
PCB 15: Did not reach reporting level
PCB 18: 9.20
PCB 28: 5.90
PCB 31: 6.36
|
PCB 8 -- 82.16: July 1, 2002
PCB 8 -- 58.4 July 7, 2002
PCB 8 -- 91.92 July 13, 2002
PCB 8 -- 51.04 July 19, 2002
PCB 15 --11.87 July 1, 2002
PCB 15 -- 14.45 July 7, 2002
PCB 15 --14.48 July 13, 2002
PCB 15 -- 7.81 July 19, 2002
PCB 18 --51.73 July 1, 2002
PCB 18 -- 67.62 July 7, 2002
PCB 18 -- 50.14 July 13, 2002
PCB 18 -- 78.07 July 19, 2002
PCB 28 -- 33.47 July 1, 2002
PCB 28 --49.17 July 7, 2002
PCB 28 -- 41.78 July 13, 2002
PCB 28 -- 27.92 July 19, 2002
PCB 31 -- 30.43 July 1, 2002
PCB 31 -- 49.17 July 7, 2002
PCB 31 -- 41.78 July 13, 2002
PCB 31 -- 36.03 July 19, 2002
|
| Barium (Metal)
HEALTH EFFECTS: No known detrimental health effects--only suspected.
|
.00056-.00086 ug/scm |
Not available (N/A) |
.058: July 1
.063: July 7
.036: July 13
.025: July 19 |
| Chromium (Metal)
HEALTH EFFECTS: No known detrimental health effects--only suspected.
|
.0011-.0017 ug/scm |
N/A |
.0055: July 1
.0060: July 7
.0079: July 13
.0067: July 19 |
| Lead (Metal)
HEALTH EFFECTS: Recognized Carcinogen; Recognized
Developmental Toxicant; Recognized Reproductive Toxicant
|
.00056-.00086 ug/scm |
N/A |
.011: July 1
.027: July 7
.025: July 13
.0083: July 19 |
Sources: The chemicals chosen were found to have reached the threshold ("reporting limit") by which they could be measured in a laboratory, and were each reported at East Chicago
Central High School--thus they are only a portion of the Army's complete data report: the Army's full report (which includes actual data from earlier quarters and additional chemicals tested for) can be accessed at <https://web.ead.anl.gov/inharbor/data/analysis/publicTables/index.cfm>. Measurements included here were reported by the Army Corps of Engineers Air Monitoring Program at the East Chicago
(IN) High School air monitoring site, and results reported are from the 3rd quarter of 2002, which is the latest data on their web site (data from previous quarters is also available on their site). Note: The reporting levels (i.e., detection limit) provided for the actual air monitoring data differs in some cases from that provided for the mean reporting data: for instance,
the actual reporting limit for PCBs is between 2.56-3.98 picograms/cubic meter of air (pg/scm), while the reporting limits for the median data for PCBs is between 2.25-4.56: I have used the reporting limit for the actual
data with the actual results. (Different reporting limits were also reported for naphthalene and fluorene, but I used the actual data with the actual results.)
Reaching this threshold, however, does not mean that it is necessarily dangerous to human health: danger depends on a number of factors, such as specific chemical, amount of exposure,
type of exposure (through breathing, drinking, eating, skin contact, etc.) That being said, however, The Calumet Project believes that any reading above the reporting limit should be of serious concern, and should be
investigated for possible effects on human health by professional chemists, toxicologists and epidemiologists. This warning is intensified for those data that are multiples of the high end of the reporting limit and have known
health effects: see
especially Benzene (+3 times over highest reporting limit); Toluene (5+ times); Naphthalene (16+ times) PCB-8 (23+ times), PCB 18 (19+ times),
PCB 28 (12+ times), PCB 31 (12+ times), and lead.
The complete data set, from which these data were extracted, can be accessed by
hitting the link to the Army Corps' data presented above; selected data was chosen by Kim
Scipes (Executive Director of The Calumet Project) on January 17, 2003.
Mean Scores for VOCs, PAHs and PCBs are from data collected from November 2001-July 2002. Actual recorded data on date indicated (and they were not all recorded on the same dates).
Mean Scores for Total Suspended Particulates of the Metals are from data collected
from April 2002-July 2002. Actual recorded data on date indicated.
Health Effects data was NOT provided by the US Army Corps of
Engineers nor the East Chicago Water Management Board--in fact, they don't seem
eager for this material to get out to the public. However, this material
was included in (and taken from) US PIRG (Public Information Research Group)
Education Fund's excellent report of October 17, 2002: IN GROSS
VIOLATION: HOW POLLUTERS ARE FLOODING AMERICA'S WATERWAYS WITH TOXIC
CHEMICALS. This entire report (covering the entire United States and
Puerto Rico) can be found at: http://www.uspirg.org/uspirg.asp?id2=8258&id3=USPIRG&.
