Baker Brothers

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Baker Brothers

The Baker Brothers site is located in Toledo, Ohio, at the intersection of Harleau Place and Post Street. The area is bordered by Interstate 75 on the west, State Route 120 on the north, and U.S. Highway 24 on the east. Surrounding the site are commercial businesses to the north and south, residences to the east, and railroad tracks with residences beyond the tracks to the west. The site includes four buildings with saw-tooth roofs and concrete floors where the Baker Brothers Company machined natural uranium metal in support of Manhattan Engineer District operations in the early 1940s; paved parking areas; and a partially enclosed courtyard in front of the main building, where most of the outdoor contamination was found. The property is partially fenced. The exterior ground cover at the site is mostly asphalt or concrete with small patches of grass near the roads.

FACILITY MISSION

Between June 1943 and July 1944, DuPont and the University of Chicago subcontracted the Baker Brothers Company to machine roll metal rods into uranium slugs to support Manhattan Engineer District work. Baker Brothers slugs fueled the world's first nuclear production reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Hanford, Washington. At contract termination, the site was decontaminated to meet existing health guidelines. The Department conducted radiological surveys in the 1980s that detected the presence of uranium residues at levels exceeding current federal guidelines; results of a detailed radiological study, which the Department conducted in 1995, were used to design the cleanup.

The primary contaminant at the site is uranium­238; metallic uranium was the only radioactive substance known to have been handled at the Baker Brothers site, and uranium was the only radioactive constituent of concern that surveys and investigations identified at the site.

Contaminated media include soil, concrete, and miscellaneous debris. Potential contaminant transport pathways include soil, air, and ground water containing uranium leached from site soils. Potential radiation exposure scenarios include current workers at the site, future renovation workers who could be engaged in renovation of buildings and outdoor areas at the site, and future residents of nearby properties who might drink water from wells that could later be installed. Potential exposure pathways for current or future workers include exposure to external gamma radiation from contaminated soils, inhalation of uranium dust and radon, and ingestion of contaminated soils or other materials at the site.

Baker Brothers assets were eventually liquidated, and the machinery and equipment were sold at auction.

FUTURE USE

The site is now two separate properties that support ongoing commercial enterprises. The property is still privately owned and is currently occupied by a used motor brokerage and an electrical services company. Future use of the Baker Brothers site is assumed to remain Industrial/Commercial.

The Baker Brothers site is in an urban setting. It is not located in the flood plain of any stream or waterway, and includes no wetlands. Under current site conditions and land use, the radioactive contamination does not present a health risk to the public or to individuals who work at the site; however, without site remediation, it could pose increased health risks should land use at the site change. The site is being cleaned up to comply with current guidelines and will be released for use with no radiological restrictions after cleanup is completed. This report assumes that future land use will remain Industrial/Commercial.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

The Baker Brothers site is being cleaned up under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Department's FUSRAP. Key regulators are the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and local governments, as appropriate.

Work crews mobilized at Baker Brothers in July 1995. The cleanup is expected to last about three months and will cost an estimated $3 million. Waste will be containerized, loaded onto trucks, and transported to a rail yard elsewhere in Ohio. After transfer to rail cars, the material will be shipped to Envirocare of Utah for disposal.

Pollution control measures include the use of plastic sheeting to prevent spillage and facilitate cleanup of spills during loading of waste for transport, misting soils with water to reduce spread of airborne contaminants, surveying exteriors of vehicles for radioactivity, and decontaminating vehicles if necessary. To avoid contact with soils, subflooring, and other contaminated materials during remedial action, Department of Energy workers wear protective clothing and use personal protective equipment. The use of dust suppression techniques and barriers to prevent movement of exposed dirt offsite during rainstorms minimizes the effects of wind and water erosion in disturbed areas outdoors. Strict adherence to federal safety guidelines, backed up by continuous environmental surveillance, will ensure that no contaminants migrate from the controlled area during cleanup.

ASSESSMENT

Field investigations to determine the nature and extent of contamination at Baker Brothers included radiological surveys and sampling and analysis of surface and subsurface soil, air, and dust and floor debris in buildings. Surveys and sampling identified four outdoor areas with soil containing uranium contamination above cleanup guidelines. Elevated uranium levels were also detected in isolated areas within buildings. This report assumes that all assessment activities are complete at this site.

A preliminary radiological survey conducted by the Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory in 1981 detected a small amount of isolated radioactive material in a wooden shelf bin in one building and surface radioactivity on the floor and walls in another building. There was no evidence of radioactive contamination on the ceiling or roof.

Although radioactive material was found only in small, isolated areas, the Department ordered a comprehensive radiological investigation. The site was assigned low priority because of the limited quantity and distribution of residual radioactive materials and the relatively low risk of exposure of site workers and the general public to radiation. Radiological surveys and sampling included surface gamma walkover surveys in all accessible areas of the property; direct gamma exposure measurements; sampling and analysis of indoor floor debris, overhead beam dust, and outdoor surface and subsurface soil; direct measurement of fixed and removable alpha and beta/gamma activity levels on indoor surfaces and on the roof; and air sampling in selected building areas.

Radiological surveys in 1988, 1989, and 1990 confirmed that uranium was present at levels exceeding current guidelines both outdoors (in the enclosed gravel courtyard and in a few isolated spots in the paved parking lot and near the property line) and on a number of indoor surfaces. In 1995, the Department performed a detailed site characterization; the resulting radiological data were used to design a safe, thorough, and cost-effective cleanup. An Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis evaluated potential cleanup options in 1995. The option selected consists of building decontamination and removal of approximately 380 cubic meters (500 cubic yards) of soil, concrete, and other contaminated debris.

The effectiveness of a cleanup option depends on how well it protects human health and the environment from contaminant-associated risks both during and after implementation. The Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for cleanup at Baker Brothers included a radiological dose assessment to determine potential health effects associated with each option under current and future conditions. Three exposure scenarios were evaluated: the current worker, the future renovation worker, and future residential receptors ingesting ground water from a well at the site boundary.

Radiological dose estimates for current workers under all exposure conditions evaluated were well below guidelines; however, if future work at the site included renovation of buildings and/or outdoor areas, the maximum potential dose received by a future renovation worker could exceed the established public dose limit. Potential exposure routes for the hypothetical future renovation worker are direct external gamma radiation from uranium in subsurface soils, ingestion of uranium­containing soils or other materials, and inhalation of uranium dust or radon. For future residents of nearby properties drinking water from wells that might later be installed, modeling has shown that since the drinking water aquifer in the area is 30 to 45 meters (100 to 150 feet) below land surface, uranium from the site would not impact this pathway within the next 1,000 years.

REMEDIAL ACTION

Three cleanup options were evaluated in the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for Baker Brothers: (1) no action, representing a baseline of current conditions; (2) institutional controls/site monitoring, which would restrict access to contaminated areas and provide long-term monitoring; and (3) soil removal and building decontamination, which would remove contamination above current guidelines. The selected option for site cleanup, soil removal and building decontamination will protect human health and the environment and will allow future use of the property with no radiological restrictions. The materials removed will be transported to Envirocare of Utah for disposal. The Baseline Environmental Management Report cost estimate assumes this cleanup scenario and a total waste volume of 380 cubic meters (500 cubic yards). Waste will be packaged and shipped in accordance with disposal facility waste acceptance criteria and Department of Energy and Department of Transportation requirements. Transportation routes will be established, and an emergency response plan will be developed.

In November 1991, soil and concrete were excavated and removed from the courtyard at the Baker Brothers property without the Department of Energy's knowledge or consent; the courtyard was then backfilled with gravel. This area is now used for storage of used electric motors and transformers. The soils excavated from the courtyard were used as backfill and topsoil at a private residence in Ottawa Lake, Michigan. The Department of Energy removed those soils in a separate cleanup action, representing remediation of a Baker Brothers site vicinity property.

This report expects remedial action at Baker Brothers to be completed during calendar year 1995 (FY 1996). Activities still to be completed include loading and packaging of waste materials into bimodal containers; transportation of the waste to Envirocare of Utah for permanent disposal; verification sampling and decontamination following cleanup (including analysis of soil and debris samples from the excavated areas to confirm compliance with cleanup requirements); and site restoration activities such as filling, reseeding, or paving as necessary to restabilize the excavated areas.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents estimated funding information for the Baker Brothers site.