I Introduction -- II Summary and analytical assessment -- Summary of investigation -- Analytical assessment -- III Conclusions -- IV Site description and operations -- V Study methodology -- Appendices -- A Data tables -- B Toxicity-health effects of pollutants -- C Analytical methodologies -- D Quality control summary The Seymour Recycling Company (SRC), located approximately 3 km (2 mi) from the city of Seymour [Figure 1], was founded in 1971 by Mr. Stanley Birge to recover methylene chloride used in his industrial operations at the Seymour Manufacturing Company. SRC soon expanded into the reclamation of other chemicals when in 1975, SRC was incorporated separately from Seymour Manufacturing Company. ... In April 1978 ... according to company estimates, onsite waste storage included approximately 42,000 55-gal drums, 2,560 mp3s (676,000 gal) in stationary bulk tanks, and seven (7) 20,000-gal rail tank cars. SRC signed a consent decree, effective June 30, 1978, with the State of Indiana Department of Health (DOH) to remove drums from the site on a scheduled basis. However, aerial photographs evaluated by the USEPA Environmental Photographic Interpretation Center in Warrenton, Virginia, showed that the drum inventory increased by nearly 3,400 drums from June 19, 1978 (44,745) to August 7, 1979 (48,126). According to SRC personnel, the consent decree conditions were not met for several reasons including: (a) union and management problems, (b) lack of availability of secure landfills, and (c) lack of State approval to place drums containing solids in no-secure landfills. The DOH agreed with SRC that drums containing solids would be inspected by State personnel and, if identification of contents could be confirmed through accompanying documents and correlated to specific barrels, approval would be given to landfill the materials at non-secure sites throughout the State. Over 1,000 barrels of solids (an estimated one-half of the barrels remaining onsite contain solids) have been staged for inspection by DOH. However, DOH claims that the barrels cannot be properly identified with the information presented, and therefore would not be approved for landfill without chemical analyses of the contents. Several spills and fires have occurred at the SRC site over the past two years, including a major fire which occurred on October 18, 1978 when a bulldozer hit a drum containing lithium aluminum hydroxide in hexane, igniting it and numerous adjacent drums. The Seymour Fire Department was called to the site to extinguish the fire. This fire prompted an inspection by the State Fire Marshall; as a result the drums are being arranged to provide fire lanes. Several spills occurred on the site including an alkanolamine spill, a chromic/nitric acid spill and an alleged hexachlorocyclopentadiene (Hex) spill. The DOH received information from a former employee that the Hex spill occurred inside the fenced area near the edge of the unfenced diked area (northeast section of site). This spill, however, has never been confirmed by State or Federal officials. After conditions at the SRC site were brought to the attention of USEPA Region V, the National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) was requested (October 11, 1979) by the Region to investigate the site. The primary objective of the NEIC investigation, conducted November 14 and 15, 1979, was to provide technical assistance to Region V in assessing potential hazards at the SRC site.