Public Health Assessment for Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Beltsville,Prince George's County, Maryland EPA Facility ID: MD0120508940

摘要

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) is a large agriculturalresearch complex operated by the Agricultural Research Service, a research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Research areas at BARC include natural resource, crops, livestock and poultry, and nutrition. The facility is located on about 6,600 acres in Beltsville, Maryland, in northwest Prince George's County. Portions of BARC are enclosed by fences, but public access to BARC is possible via a number of public roadways that pass through the facility. Public access for recreational purposes to Central and North Farms is allowed at pre-determined times, but public access to BARC areas of concern (AOCs) is prohibited at all times. Approximately 36 privately-owned housing units, most of which are near Edmonston Road, are completely surrounded by BARC property. A few on-site housing units are owned by BARC and occupied by employees. Contamination resulting from past activities at BARC is presented at dump sites; chemical storage areas and burial sites; a burial site for material contaminated with low levels of radiation; and pesticide and herbicide mixing, application, and washdown areas. In 1994, BARC was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List because a former landfill, known as the Biodegradable Site, appeared to be contaminating nearby surface water in Indian Creek. Metals and semi-volatile organic compounds have been detected in groundwater, soil, and surface water; radionuclides and pesticides have been detected in groundwater, soil, and sediment; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been detected in soil and sediment. In addition, tetrachloroethylene (PCE) originating from the Beltsville Industrial Center is contaminating groundwater near Linkage Farm. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepared this public health assessment to evaluate past, current, and potential future exposures to contaminants originating at BARC.