MASSIVE PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION ON BOTH VARNICOLOR SITES

I mentioned last week that the hydrogeological consultant for Elmira Pump (formerly Varnicolor) had made inquiries of Chemtura (CRA) in regards to a petroleum hydrocarbon reading just a few feet off the old Varnicolor site. When I asked Jeff Merriman of Chemtura about this information in their June Progress Report Jeff stated that it wasn't petroleum hydrocarbons discovered in well CH70D at 1,100 parts per billion (ppb), it was actually chlorobenzene. Well that made no sense at the time because chlorobenzene was already reported as being present at 1,900 ppb.

Over the last several days, including this long weekend, I have been rereading hydrogeological reports and studies for both former Varnicolor sites, namely the Union St. site and also the Lot 91 at the extreme east end of Oriole Parkway. Just as importantly I've been doing basic research into what exactly petroleum hydrocarbons are. The short version is that they are components of crude oil made up of hydrocarbon compounds which of course are simply hydrogen and carbon. There are literally hundreds of different hydrocarbon compounds which can be broken down into all sorts of classifications including alkanes, aliphatics, aromatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons etc.. Petroleum hydrocarbons also have ranges which simply indicate the number of carbon atoms in them. For example typical gasoline components have a fraction or carbon range between C4 and C12. Similarily jet fuels have a range of C4 to C14. Diesel fuel is from C7 to C24 and so on. BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) are very common gasoline and jet fuel chemicals and their range is from C6 to C8. There are tremendous overlaps in both various chemical compounds in diesel fuels, heating fuels, gasoline, jet fuel, lubricating oils, solvents etc. as well as overlaps in the fractions or carbon ranges. Essentially it's both the number of carbon and hydrogen atoms as well as the percentages by weight of each of these different combinations which determine what the final product is.

What I have learned is both stunning and a confirmation of what I have seen in the past. The stunning part is that both sites are just filled with petroleum hydrocarbons. 1,100 ppb in CH70D is absolutely nothing compared to what was in the subsurface of that site twenty years ago. The confirmation deals with the ability in chemistry to come up with shortforms and synonyms. I have seen fairly common solvents described using weird and esoteric chemical names in various M.O.E. and other reports. Some Lot 91 reports refer to for example "Benzene-C3". Other Varnicolor Chemical reports just generally refer to "alkylbenzenes". Others specify "C3-alkylbenzene". Finally we have "propylbenzenes". Essentially as best I can determine they are identical. Same thing with "Benzene-C4", "C-4 alkylbenzene" and butylbenzene. This terminology makes it nearly impossible for lay people to fully understand what they are reading.

Various soil concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons on the former Varnicolor sites are in the low parts per million range (ppm) on Lot 91 as well as 20-40 ppm (ie. 20,000-40,000 ppb.) on the Union St. site with one notable exception of 100,000 ppb. of C4-alkylbenzene. There is however a January 10/95 chart of soil samples for Lot 91 which has incredible concentrations of BTEX chemicals most notably xylenes as high as 900-1000 parts per million (ppm). Toluene hits 300 and 400 thousand parts per billion (ppb.) in the soil. Groundwater readings on lot 91 both twenty years ago and currently still exceed cleanup criteria but we are assurred that "natural attenuation" will take care of that. Somewhat similar to death taking care of cancer in my opinion. Groundwater readings on the main Varnicolor site on Union St. exceed the 100 part per million range for BTEX chemicals. Yes greater than 100 ppm. is greater than 100,000 parts pre billion (ppb.). Similarily the chlorinated solvents on the site exceed 100 ppm. as well. Is it any wonder twenty years of pump and treat with a four foot only initial excavation has not suceeded in cleaning up this site? Simiarily the exceedances on Lot 91 are being permitted to slowly discharge to Landfill Creek. What hasn't been pointed out is the sheer NUMBERS of DIFFERENT contaminants on both sites. No one has tested for everything possible but they still have found in excess of two hundred different industrial/toxic chemicals between both sites.

This is the reality of industrial pollution in Ontario. Even horribly polluted sites are not "cleaned up". They are studied and tested. Then there is a superficial cleanup done. Our surface water bodies as well as air and groundwater slowly absorb the rest over decades. This is what we are leaving our children and grandchildren. Shame on all of us.