Superfund Information Systems: Site Profile

Superfund Site:

BEHR DAYTON THERMAL SYSTEM VOC PLUME
DAYTON, OH

Health & Environment

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What Are the Risks at the Site?

 

The potential for dangerous contaminant vapors from the Behr Dayton Thermal VOC Plume Superfund Site to accumulate in homes and business located in the McCook Field and Old North Dayton neighborhoods continues. These vapors could be adversely affecting the health of those living or working in the area. The process by which these vapors accumulate in homes and businesses is called vapor intrusion. See the Behr Dayton site Area of Potential Concern map (PDF) (1 pp, 5.46 MB) to determine if your home or business is within the area. EPA continues to urge residents and business owners to provide access to technicians who are sampling for vapor intrusion at the direction of EPA at no cost to owners.

If your home or business is already equipped with a vapor intrusion mitigation system (VIMS) to prevent these vapors from entering, it is important that the VIMS always remain in operation and that you provide access to the technicians tasked with inspecting the system for free. If your home or business isn’t equipped with a VIMS, and it is in the area potentially affected by vapor intrusion, contact U.S. EPA Remedial Project Manager Erik Hardin (hardin.erik@epa.gov), 312-886-2402 to inquire about sampling. Residents may contact the Ohio Department of Health with any questions about public health as well as possible exposure to contamination from the site.

A Citizen's Guide to Vapor Intrusion Mitigation (PDF) (2 pp, 1.48 MB)

There is a large groundwater plume of volatile contaminants – tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) – that has moved down-gradient away from the industrial source, the former Chrysler plant on Leo Street now owned by MAHLE Behr Dayton LLC, and under the nearby area including the McCook Field Neighborhood.

 

Because of the demonstrated link between neighborhood homes and on-site chemicals, the Ohio Department of Health conducted a community cancer incidence assessment in the impacted neighborhood. Although total cancer rates were elevated in this neighborhood, the spike in cancer cases was caused by high rates of lung cancer. The primary risk factor for lung cancer is smoking and information from the cancer registry indicated that 90% of the reported cases were indeed former or current smokers. Cancers potentially linked to TCE exposures – including kidney, liver, and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma – were not found to be significantly higher than the expected rate for the studied population.

 

 

 

 

 

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Contaminant Information

View a full list of contaminants of concern for this site.

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Performance Measures

EPA uses performance measures to track environmental results at Superfund sites. If you have any questions or concerns about the measures at this site, please contact the site team members listed under Site Contacts.

Read more about Superfund Remedial Performance Measures.

Performance
Measure		 Status at this
Superfund Site		 What does this mean?
Human Exposure Under Control Insufficient Data Yes means assessments indicate that across the entire site:
  1. There are currently no unacceptable human exposure pathways; and
  2. EPA has determined the site is under control for human exposure.

No means an unsafe level of contamination has been detected at the site and a reasonable expectation exists that people could be exposed.

Insufficient data means that, due to uncertainty regarding exposures, one cannot draw conclusions as to whether human exposures are controlled, typically because:
  1. Response to the contamination has not begun; or
  2. The response has begun, but it has not yet generated information sufficiently reliable to evaluate whether there are currently any unacceptable human exposure pathways at the site.
Groundwater Migration Under Control Insufficient Data

Yes means EPA reviewed all information on known and reasonably expected groundwater contamination. EPA concluded the migration of contaminated groundwater is stabilized and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA will conduct monitoring to confirm that affected groundwater remains in the original area of contamination.

No means EPA has reviewed all information on known and reasonably expected groundwater contamination, and the migration of contaminated groundwater is not stabilized.

Insufficient data means that due to uncertainty regarding contaminated groundwater migration, EPA cannot draw conclusions as to whether the migration of contaminated groundwater is stabilized.

Construction Complete No

Yes means the physical construction of the cleanup is complete for the entire site.

No means either physical construction is not complete or actions are still needed to address contamination.

Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use No Yes means:
  1. All cleanup goals affecting current and reasonably anticipated future land uses of the entire site have been achieved, so there are no unacceptable risks;
  2. All required land-use restrictions or other controls have been put in place; and
  3. The site has achieved Construction Complete status.

No means that one or more of these three criteria have not been met. However, a site listed as no may still have redevelopment occurring on portions of the site and additional redevelopment may be possible.

Important Note: Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use (SWRAU) is an internal performance measure and is not a reporting of site-specific risk. The determination that a site is SWRAU is based on the information available at the time the determination is made. That determination may revert if site conditions change, or if new or additional information is discovered regarding the contamination at the site.

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Superfund