Health assessment for Port Washington Landfill, North Hempstead, New York, Region 2. CERCLIS No. NYD980654206. Preliminary report

Technical Report · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:7003757

The Port Washington Landfill is located in the northwestern portion of Nassau County, New York. Prior to the Town of North Hempstead's purchase of the property in 1973, the site was used from the late 1880s as a sand and gravel mine and as a construction and demolition debris landfill. Operation of the landfill during the 1970s resulted in the generation of an off-site soil gas plume composed of methane and volatile organic compounds. Of the volatile compounds, vinyl chloride is of special concern because of its presence in the on-site soil gas at high concentrations and its carcinogenicity. A variety of volatile organic compounds have been detected in the ground water, leachate, and ambient and subsurface air. All of the contaminants found in ground water exceed New York State drinking water standards. Elevated brain cancer incidence was found in males in the study area and was limited in time from 1978 to 1987. Whether or not the cases are related to the airborne contaminants is unknown. The cause and effect relationship should be investigated by examining brain-cancer incidence near landfills with similar vapor-emission problems.

• Research Organization: New York State Dept. of Health, Albany, NY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7003757
• Report Number(s): PB-90-140435/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION
ALKANES
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HYDROCARBONS
LAWS
LEACHATES
MANAGEMENT
MATTER
METHANE
MIXTURES
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION LAWS
PROGRESS REPORT
PUBLIC HEALTH
RISK ASSESSMENT
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SOILS
SOLUTIONS
SUPERFUND
VINYL CHLORIDE
VOLATILE MATTER
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER POLLUTION