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Messrs Larson and Trommer January 10, 2014 <br /> 104 W. Beverly Place, Tracy, CA Page 3 of 4 <br /> The EHD has shown above a concern that there may not be a 5-foot bioattenuation zone with <br /> TPH uniformly less than 100mg/kg and that there is likely to be at least 3 feet of impacted soil of <br /> unknown width that underlies the entire north/south length of the residence from the source area <br /> to MW-8. The consultant presented a Tier II health risk evaluation for indoor air concentrations <br /> showing a cancer risk of less than 10-7 and a hazard index of less than 1, which the Fund <br /> accepted as demonstrating an acceptable health risk level for site closure, but the cancer risk <br /> and health hazard quotient for shallow soil gas and air in the crawl space was not noted or <br /> discussed. <br /> Soil gas samples collected near the residence contained as much as 5,150,000 micrograms per <br /> cubic meter (pg/m3) TPHg and 2,700 lag/m3 benzene in September 2011. Resampling three soil <br /> gas probes in March 2012 detected TPHg at concentration as high as 400,000 lag/m3 and <br /> benzene as high as 240 lag/m3. The consultant utilized a Johnson and Ettinger model to <br /> calculate the cancer risk and hazard index for the average benzene concentration detected <br /> during the March 2012 event, and determined a cancer risk of 7.4E-7 and a hazard index of <br /> 0.037. The EHD notes that this calculation avoids the much higher concentrations detected in <br /> the September 2011 event and the individual highs of the March 2012 event. The final Guidance <br /> for the Evaluation and Mitigation of Subsurface Vapor Intrusion to Indoor Air (Vapor Intrusion <br /> Guidance) issued by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), dated October 2011, <br /> in discussing use of the Johnson & Ettinger Model (1991) states on page 23 that the "Maximum <br /> contaminant concentrations should be used for modeling." The EHD considers the health risk <br /> model provided for soil gas contaminants to be invalid. <br /> The crawl space under the residence has also been sampled and analyzed during the sampling <br /> events conducted in May 2011, September 2011, March 2012 and August 2013. The consultant <br /> report of November 2011 presented data from the first two sampling events with a human health <br /> risk assessment for the 930 lag/m3 benzene detected in September 2011, which yielded a <br /> cancer risk of 0.00068 (6.8E-4) and a hazard index of 23. This information and additional <br /> sampling led to conducting indoor air sampling and installing and operating a mitigation system <br /> to remove the hydrocarbon vapor frorn the crawl space. <br /> In their report of 16 September 2013, the consultant recounted calculating a cancer risk of <br /> 4.8E-7 and Hazard index of 0.016 for the 0.65 lag/m3 benzene in the indoor air samples, but did <br /> not present a hazard index for the TPHg in indoor air that exceeded the ESL for indoor air. <br /> While the data can be used to show a cancer risk at an acceptable level within the residence, it <br /> has also been shown that the cancer risk and hazard index for benzene in the air in the crawl <br /> space greatly exceeds acceptable risk and hazard levels. The soil gas near the residence <br /> probably also exceeds acceptable risk and hazard levels, but was not calculated in accordance <br /> with authoritative guidance. Please note that the residence is of older construction (built in 1951) <br /> on a raised foundation with only the flooring and subflooring acting as the barrier between the <br /> crawl space and the living space. Natural deterioration or modifications made by future owners <br /> may compromise the barrier as it currently exists. The crawl space, which may fit the definition <br /> of a confined space, may be accessed by unwary owners, repairmen or children in the future. <br /> Due to the extraordinary known hydrocarbon vapor concentrations on this site, the EHD is of the <br /> opinion that this is a case where the site may narrowly fit the LTCP criteria as a low-risk site, but <br /> should not be closed. Therefore, the EHD cannot concur with the Fund recornmend ation for <br /> case closure. The EHD is of the opinion that additional corrective action is required to further <br /> 2014 SRS Response CUF Claim No 8502.doc <br />