| Abstract |
The Denver Radium/Card Corporation property is a 17.2-acre site located in Denver, Colorado. In 1979, the EPA discovered a reference to the National Radium Institute in 1916 U.S. Bureau of Mines report. Subsequent field research revealed the presence of thirty-one radioactive sites in the Denver Metropolitan area, one of these being Card property, the location of the original Pittsburgh Radium Company processing facility. The site consists of five buildings and an oil and waste water pond at the eastern boundary. There is no serious public health risk at present from radium or its decay products, most notable radion gas. However, there is the potential for increased public health risk if the radium contaminated materials are misused or inadvertently spread. Currently, radium has been detected in the soil, sediment and underneath the True Truss building. EPA's preferred remedial action for the Card property is permanent offsite disposal. However, the alternative can not be implemented until a suitable offsite facility is designated. |
