[CPEO-MEF] CSWAB Asks Army to Voluntarily Eliminate Source of Air Toxins

[Laura Olah <info@cswab.org>]

CSWAB

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger

E12629 Weigand's Bay South - Merrimac, WI  53561

Phone (608) 643-3124 - Fax (608) 643-0005

Email: info@cswab.org - Website: www.cswab.org

September 26, 2003

 


PRESS RELEASE


For Immediate Release

 

For more information contact:


Laura Olah, CSWAB (608)643-3124


 

 

CSWAB Asks Army to Voluntarily 

Eliminate Source of Air Toxins

 

PRAIRIE DU SAC - A facility used to thermally treat salvaged metal
objects at Badger Army Ammunition Plant is a source of toxic emissions
that could be easily eliminated.  According to Citizens for Safe Water
Around Badger, paint on some of these items is contaminated with high
levels of lead, PCBs and other toxins that become volatized and released
to the air when heated.

"As open burning/thermal treatment of painted objects at Badger's
decontamination oven may result in the uncontrolled release of dioxins,
lead, PCBs, and other bioaccumulative toxins to the environment, we are
writing to urge the Army to voluntarily prohibit thermal treatment of
paint that exceeds applicable standards," CSWAB's September 24 letter
said.

The decontamination oven at Badger is an open air thermal treatment unit
used to assure that no explosive material is on or in metal objects that
will be released to salvage operators.  Some of these objects, including
flanges, pipes, and other metal objects, are painted.  

The high contaminant levels in certain paints were first reported by
Plexus Scientific as part of the documentation provided to the WDNR for
the proposed open burning of buildings and equipment at Badger.  Plexus,
a consultant working for the Army, took representative paint samples
from various surfaces in buildings at Badger.  

PCBs in paint were detected at concentrations as high as 22,000 ppm -
levels far above the regulatory limit of 50 ppm.  Burning PCBs may, in
turn, produce dioxins - persistent bioaccumulative toxins that can move
through the environment by many processes including volatilization and
long-range transport, CSWAB cautions.  Lead was also detected in various
paint samples at concentrations as high as 170,000 ppm - again, far
above the federal standard of 5,000 ppm.  

"In addition to demonstrating the Army's interest in optimal protection
of the environment and acting as a good neighbor, we believe this
request will cause the Army no undo hardship as it already routinely
handles, stores, and disposes of hazardous wastes and the amount of
material involved is, by comparison, exceptionally small," CSWAB's
letter concluded.  

-END-

 

 

--

Laura Olah, Executive Director

Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger

E12629 Weigands Bay S

Merrimac, WI 53561

phone: (608)643-3124

fax: (608)643-0005

email: info@cswab.org

website: www.cswab.org

 

 

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