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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Health assessment for Whitewood Creek, Lawrence and Mead Counties, South Dakota, Region 8. CERCLIS No. SD980717136. Preliminary report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5050190
The Whitewood Creek Site is on the National Priorities List. The site, and 18-mile segment of Whitewood Creek, is located in Lawrence and Mead Counties, South Dakota. An estimated 10 billion kilograms of mill tailings are present on-site. Access to the area is unrestricted. Preliminary on-site sampling have identified arsenic (4-780 ppm in ground water, 8 ppm in surface water), cadmium (10 ppm in ground water, 102 ppm in surface water), chromium (19 ppm in ground water), cyanide (10 to 18 ppm in ground water, 2 ppm in surface water), selenium (79 ppm in ground water), lead (308 ppm in surface water). Preliminary off-site soil-sampling results identified arsenic (42 to 440 ppm), cadmium (9 ppm), and copper (412 ppm). Based on available information, the site is considered to be of potential public health concern because of the risk to human health caused by the possibility of human exposure to hazardous substances. Direct contact and ingestion of contaminated ground water, surface water, soil and sediment are possible human exposure pathways. In addition, inhalation of contaminants entrained in air and ingestion of contaminants that bioaccumulate in the food chain are other potential sources for human exposure.
Research Organization:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA (USA)
OSTI ID:
5050190
Report Number(s):
PB-90-118357/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English