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THE EPA LEAD SCAVENGER STUDY
Citation:
WILSON, J. T., C. J. ADAIR, AND H. WHITE. THE EPA LEAD SCAVENGER STUDY. Presented at The 19th Annual National Tanks Conference and Expo, San Antonio, TX, March 05 - 07, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
With assistance from the Association of State and Territorial Air and Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO), the U.S. EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) and the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) conducted a survey to determine the distribution of ethylene dibromide (EDB) and 1, 2-dichloroethane (DCA) in ground water at gasoline service stations where there had been a spill of gasoline from an underground storage tank. These compounds were used as lead scavengers in leaded gasoline. Concentrations of EDB were determined using EPA Method 8011 in a total of 736 water samples from 79 sites in 17 states; EDB was detected in at least one well at 43 sites. The concentration of EDB was above the MCL at 34 sites. Concentrations of benzene and DCA were determined using EPA Method 8260 in a total of 335 water samples from 39 sites in 12 states; benzene was detected in at least one well at every site. The concentration of benzene was above the MCL at every site. DCA was detected in at least one well at 9 sites. The concentration of DCA was above the MCL at 6 sites. Relative risk was calculated by dividing the concentration of an analyte by its MCL. Benzene was the risk driver at 75% of sites. The few sites with the highest concentrations of EDB had more risk than the sites with the highest concentrations of benzene. The risk from DCA never exceeded the risk from benzene.