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5.ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST MOUNTAIN HOUSE NEIGHBORHOODS K AND L INITIAL STUDY <br /> 7.HAZARDS <br /> No chlorinated herbicides were detected in the 11 samples collected from <br /> Neighborhood L.A low concentration of 4,4'-DDE (2.1 micrograms per kilogram <br /> [ug/kg])was detected in one of the eight composite samples. Concentrations of <br /> 4.4'-DDE(at 4.2 ug/kg) and 4,4'-DDT(at 7.6 ug/kg)were detected in one of the <br /> discrete soil samples collected from the northern corner of the former barn in <br /> Neighborhood L. <br /> To put these analytical results in context,for comparison,the U.S. Environmental <br /> Protection Agency(USEPA) Region 9 Preliminary Remediation Goal (PRG)for <br /> clean-up of soil contaminated by these compounds is 1,700 ug/kg for residential <br /> use. the highest detected concentration of DDT at 7.6 ug/kg falls well below this <br /> threshold. Despite the low level of organochlorine pesticides detected, a human <br /> health risk screening evaluation was performed to provide an estimate of the <br /> potential chronic health hazard from contamination at Neighborhood L using the <br /> accepted methodology and assumptions of the USEPA, California Environmental <br /> Protection Agency(Cal EPA), and DTSC for quantifying risk and hazard. The <br /> cancer risk and non-cancer hazard quotients for all constituents of concern were <br /> summed to obtain the total cancer risk and total hazard index posed by these <br /> constituents. The total calculated cancer risk was determined to be 8.5 in one <br /> billion (8.55E-09);the total hazard was less than unity. The general screening <br /> value for cancer risk is one in one million(1 E-06);the screening value for non- <br /> cancer hazard is one (unity). <br /> Based on these results, the detected concentrations of DDE and DDT do not <br /> appear to present an elevated cancer risk or hazard quotient.The Limited Phase <br /> II ESA concluded that past practices of handling agricultural chemicals have not <br /> resulted in a significant release or threat to the site and there is not a potential <br /> hazard to public health or the environment from former agricultural use(Condor, <br /> 2004b). <br /> Electromagnetic Fields <br /> Electromagnetic fields(EMFs)are invisible energy fields composed of electric <br /> and magnetic fields that are generated by electrical devices. EMFs are emitted <br /> by everything that uses and/or conducts electricity, including power lines, <br /> electrical wiring, computers,television, hair dryers, and household appliances. <br /> While electrical fields are weakened by materials that conduct electricity <br /> (including trees, buildings,soil, and human skin), magnetic fields pass through <br /> most materials and are therefore difficult to shield. Both electric and magnetic <br /> fields decrease as the distance from the source increases(California Department <br /> of Health Services, 1999). <br /> Different forms of EMFs are produced by a variety of sources and may be <br /> differentiated based on their strength(frequency)and the ability of a particular <br /> EMF to cause ionization, a process that can produce molecular changes that can <br /> lead to damage in biological tissue and can potentially cause cancer. In the <br /> United States, electric energy facilities generate EMFs at a frequency of 60 hertz <br /> e <br /> �gnn�7 5-92 <br />