US EPA

1466668 

Technical Report 

Health assessment for Nebraska Army Ordnance Plant (former), Mead, Saunders County, Nebraska, Region 7. CERCLIS No. NE6211890011 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry :: ATSDR 

1992 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service 

Atlanta, GA 

PB92177815 

GRA and I 

GRA and I 

36 

English 

The former Nebraska Ordance Plant (NOP), a National Priorities List (NPL) site, is located in Saunders County, Nebraska. The plant assembled bombs from 1942 through 1945 and 1950 through 1956. Past waste disposal practices at NOP resulted in soil contamination with trinitrotoluene (TNT), cyclonite (RDX), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and groundwater contamination with trichloroethylene (TCE), TNT, and RDX. In addition, the unused portions of the former manufacturing buildings contain steam pipes covered with frayed asbestos. From the available information, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concludes that the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant NPL site is a public health hazard because a risk to human health may exist from possible exposure to hazardous substances at concentrations that may result in adverse human health effects. Exposure to elevated levels of TCE and RDX has occurred in some on-site and off-site residents of the NOP site who used contaminated groundwater for drinking and bathing. This groundwater contamination could migrate into additional drinking water supplies in the future. Moreover, bioaccumulation of RDX in crops irrigated with contaminated water is another pathway of concern. Individuals could also have skin contact and ingestion exposures to RDX, TNT, and PCBs in on-site soils. The asbestos located in the unused manufacturing buildings is an additional public health hazard. Although there are indications that human exposure to on- and off-site contaminants occurred in the past, this site is not being considered for follow-up health activities at this time because no current exposure is occurring at levels of public health concern. However, if data become available suggesting that human exposure to hazardous substances at levels of public health concern is currently occurring, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will reevaluate this site for any indicated follow-up. ATSDR will continue coordination with the State of Nebraska Department of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure provision of alternate water to the affected families. ATSDR will also continue to support protective actions taken by the proper authorities to mitigate the asbestos hazard. 

PB92177815