Manufacturing Facility

Kearny, New Jersey

Roux Associates conducted a risk assessment to evaluate the relative toxicity and potential risks of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which had been buried in a disposal pit at a former manufacturing facility in New Jersey. The PCBs were formerly used as a heat transfer fluid for a manufacturing process. A removal action had resulted in the off-site disposal of a significant quantity of the soil from the pit. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requested additional site delineation. During the remedial investigation, hot spots of PCBs in soil were identified. Discrete areas containing substituted phenols (manufactured at the site) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were also detected. The risk assessment concentrated on relative toxicity and potential risks of exposure to Aroclor 1254, the PCB found at the site. The potential risks associated with exposure to PAHs and substituted phenols were also addressed. By demonstrating in the risk assessment that Aroclor 1254 should be treated primarily as a non-carcinogen, Roux Associates was able to significantly reduce the volume of soils that the agency required be removed from the site for off-site treatment and disposal. Estimated cost savings calculated by using risk-based remedial goals was approximately $44 million.