Letter Health Consultation: Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter, Dewey-Humboldt, Yavapai County, Arizona. EPA Facility ID: AZ0000309013

摘要

Local residents contacted the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to express their concerns regarding the tailings from the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter at Dewey-Humboldt, AZ. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI) report, published in 2002, indicated some residential soil collected from the Chaparral Gulch contain arsenic and lead above EPA Residential Preliminary Remediation Goals and ADEQ Residential Soil Remediation Levels. To follow up, EPA conducted additional soil sampling in 2005. ADEQ also conducted groundwater sampling of existing wells as part of an Expanded Site Investigation (ESI) in 2006. The purpose of this health consultation is to evaluate the available water and soil sampling results to determine if the detected metal levels pose adverse health effects when residents come into contact with the water or soil. In 2008, EPA initiated the field investigation portion of the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the Site. The primary objectives of the RI/FS are to determine the nature and extent of contamination and to gather sufficient information so that EPA can select a long-term remedy that eliminates, reduces, or controls risks to human health. The investigation included the collection of airborne particulates, groundwater, surface water, surface soil, subsurface soil, and sediment data across the entire Site. Data from the RI/FS was not available at the time the health consultation was prepared and thus it was not incorporated into this health consultation.