RISKS DUE TO GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION AT A PLUTONIUM PROCESSING FACILITY

The specter of contaminated groundwater looms over industrialized, sub urban, and rural areas. The sources of groundwater contamination are m any and the contaminants numerous. Historical waste disposal practices pose the greatest threat to groundwater in the United States. Common solvents such as trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethane, benzene, and ca rbon tetrachloride have been found in widespread areas. For this study , a risk assessment is performed using a multimedia environmental tran sport model to estimate public risk from a contaminated groundwater pl ume. From 1955 to 1973, a crib above the groundwater plume was used fo r the disposal of plutonium processing waste. The plume contains chemi cal and radioactive wastes that could pose a health threat to people l iving in the vicinity of the site. Remedial designs are selected for r emediating the different contaminants in the groundwater plume through a multiple phase treatment process. This study evaluates: baseline he alth risks to the public, health risk reduction to the public as a res ult of the remedial activities, health risk to the workers directly in volved in cleaning up the site, and costs associated with each remedia l activity.