The Collaborative on Health and the Environment – Washington

A Partnership Network for Environmental Health
Established and Coordinated by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health

Contaminated Sites

There are almost 10,000 contaminated sites in Washington State. About 6,000 of these are the result of leaking underground storage tanks that have contaminated the surrounding soil and groundwater. Others types of sites include contaminated sediments in Washington State’s rivers and waterbodies.

The contamination at each of these sites is unique and depends on the type of toxic chemical, and the nature and extent of contamination. Because the health and environmental risks depend on the contamination, these risks are also unique to each site. However, common health risks associated with contaminated sites include:

• Children can ingest contaminated soil and dust because they often play close to the ground and put objects in their mouths. These behaviors can result in significant exposures to contaminated soil and dust;
• Contaminated soil and dust can become airborne, so that local residents can inhale contaminated particles;
• Fish and shell fish intended for human consumption can become contaminated from sediments and water containing toxic chemicals; and
• Contaminated groundwater can be a health risk for people who depend on this type of water source for drinking, cooking, bathing/showering, and other uses.

You may also be interested in the web page on contaminants in contaminated soil.

Summary of Information on Washington State

From National Organizations:

The Environmental Protection Agency maintains the National Priorities List (NPL) as part of the Superfund Program. The NPL lists contaminated sites in the US that are priorities for further investigation and clean-up. There are presently (2006) 46 NPL sites in Washington State, with one new one proposed and 17 that have been deleted from the List.

The website for the Superfund Program contains an extensive webpage on "Human Health and Ecological Risk". This webpage contains a link to information on the "Human Health Risk Assessment" process for Superfund sites.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is responsible for conducting public health assessments of all NPL sites and other sites where they may be a significant risk to public health. The ATSDR factsheet on "ATSDR Activities in Washington" states that as of 2002, the Agency had conducted 89 public health assessments in the State. These assessments were conducted under contract to the State Department of Health. Most of them are risk assessments that focus on cancer and ‘non-carcinogenic’ health effects. A few include an epidemiological component.

Information on over 50 public health assessments in Washington State, and some recent ‘health consultations’ is available from the ATSDR’s Division of Health Assessment and Consultation’s webpage on "Region 10 – Washington".

From State Organizations:

The Department of Ecology website provides extensive information on contaminated sites in Washington State. Its "Cleanup Sites, Sediments, and Underground Storage Tanks" webpage has extensive information on known contaminated sites in the State, including narrative descriptions, maps, and a bi-monthly publication "Site Register" with information on public participation opportunities.

The Department of Ecology also maintains a "Hazardous Sites List" under the Model Toxics Control Act, which is updated twice a year. It includes all sites which have been assessed and ranked using the Washington Ranking Method (WARM). The WARM estimates the environmental and health risks posed by individual sites. The estimate is based on the amount of contaminants, how toxic they are, and how easily they can come in contact with people and the environment. Sites are ranked relative to each other on a scale of one to five. A score of one represents the highest level of concern relative to other sites, and a score of five the lowest.

Nearly every county in the State has one or more sites on the Hazardous Sites List. Most are in the more populous counties of western Washington, where there has traditionally been more industry.

The Hazardous Sites List also contains National Priorities List (NPL) sites (see National Organizations).

In 1988, the Department of Ecology released an Assessment of Surface Soil Contamination at Soil and Crop, Inc., Othello, Washington".

In addition to sites contaminated with toxic chemicals, there are now many sites contaminated as a result of illegal drug laboratories (crystal meth). The Washington State Department of Health has released a "List of Sites Contaminated by Clandestine Drug Labs".

From Local Organizations:

We were unable to find any information on contaminated sites in Washington State from local organizations.

top

Information on Washington State in Context

In 2005, Washington State had the seventh highest number of Superfund sites in the country (46), behind New Jersey (113), Pennsylvania (94), California (93), New York (86), Michigan (66), and Florida (50). This is partly because of the relatively large size of the State.

top

Quality of Information on Washington State

In general, there is good information available on contaminated sites and health in Washington State. Health risk assessments have been completed at about half of the Superfund sites in Washington State and at many other contaminated sites. As well, the Department of Ecology has a hazard ranking system for hazardous sites. However, there do not appear to have been many epidemiological studies to study whether or not there are actual health effects at contaminated sites in Washington State.

top

General Information Sources

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program: www.epa.gov/superfund/

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/

Washington State Department of Ecology: www.ecy.wa.gov/ecyhome.html

top