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Arsenic site found in Ohio County; state, feds investigate

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection are investigating a site in Ohio County where extremely high concentrations of the toxic element arsenic have been detected in the soil, state officials confirmed Wednesday.

The site, at 209 Shinkle Chapel Road, is about six miles south of the Daviess County line, about a mile west of U.S. 231 and about five miles north of Hartford. It is not far from Little No Creek. It does not pose an imminent danger to the public, but a gate has been erected to prevent people from reaching the site and a no trespassing sign has been posted, according to Tony Hatton, director of the division of waste management within the state Department for Environmental Protection.

Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnston said he first learned of the arsenic contamination about two months ago when he met with state environmental officials.

"It seems like after World War II, a whole bunch of arsenic was stored in a barn in drums," Johnston said. "Its purpose is unknown. It just sat there."

At some point the barn burned, Johnston said, and the arsenic — no longer contained in barrels — was left in loose form on the ground.

"Trees and brush were dying," Johnston said. "It (the arsenic) was moving, but not very fast. It has not contaminated streams, but there's the threat (it will)."

Johnston said a previous owner of the property recently notified environmental officials of a potential problem at the site, prompting a visit by Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection personnel, who took soil samples for analysis.

"When they checked it, they found it was the highest amount (of arsenic) they had every encountered," Johnston said. "They immediately put up a gate to keep people out."

Johnston said the property is now owned by a bank. He said a "massive cleanup" is being planned.

Hatton and Larry Hughes, manager of the superfund branch in the division of waste management, confirmed Johnston's information.

"We were made aware of a potential concern at a site," Hatton said. "We went down (on Nov. 3) initially and found extremely high levels of arsenic, which caused us concern. We decided we needed to do something."

One sample revealed a level of arsenic of 530,000 parts per million. That compares to a background level of arsenic occurring naturally in Kentucky soil of about less that 20 parts per million, Hughes said. The EPA has set the arsenic standard for drinking water at 10 parts per billion to protect consumers served by public water systems from the effects of long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic.

"One sample was 50 percent arsenic," Hughes said. "When we see something of that significance, we contact Region 4 of the EPA."

The contamination was not found to have entered any drinking water wells or streams, Hatton said.

Art Smith, on-site coordinator for the U.S. EPA Region 4 office in Louisville, was contacted, Hatton said.

"We work with him on environmental emergencies like this," Hughes said. "He initiated a reconnaissance to take further samples and plan a strategy. They are figuring out the nature and extent of the contamination. We know we have a problem, but not exactly the extent. A contractor (Tetra Tech) is on board."

Smith, reached at his Louisville office, was not able to comment immediately on the contamination.

A pair of rusty tanks about a quarter of a mile from the contamination site were found to also have high levels of arsenic in them, Hughes said. Those will be handled at the state level, he said, while the federal EPA will manage the main site of contamination.

The main contamination site is a 30-foot circle where nothing is growing, Hughes said. But high arsenic concentration was also found 200 feet downhill from the main site.

Hatton and Hughes said they did not know what the purpose was for having that much arsenic at the location, or who put it there. Arsenic, a natural element, has many uses, including as a pesticide and herbicide. It is used to make metal alloys, battery components and was once commonly used to preserve wood.

More testing of the site will take place in March, Hatton said.

Arsenic

Arsenic (As) naturally occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals. In metal form, it is used to strengthen alloys of copper and lead. Arsenic and its compounds are used in the production of pesticides, treated wood products (now phased out), herbicides and insecticides, although these uses are declining, according to an Internet site.

Arsenic poisoning is caused by elevated levels of arsenic in the body, often from ground water that has naturally high concentrations of arsenic. Acute arsenic poisoning can be fatal.

According to the federal EPA, arsenic is a semi-metal element that is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices.

Noncancer effects can include thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness.

Arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate.

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By Steve Vied
The Messenger-Inquirer
Kentucky Press News Service
Date: 02-26-2015

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