Cooper Drum Company
Encyclopedia
Cooper Drum Company recycled closed top, steel drums
on a 3.8 acres (15,378.1 m²) facility in South Gate, California
from 1976 to 2003. They used strong chemicals to recondition the drums, leading to public concern about health impacts on the surrounding community. In particular, staff and students from Tweedy Elementary School, which borders the Cooper Drum site to the south, complained of health problems that may have resulted from exposure to toxic chemical coming from Cooper Drum Company. In June 2001, the Cooper Drum site was placed on the Superfund
list, marking the site as one of the most high priority toxic cleanup sites in the United States.
In 1992, the drum reconditioning business was purchased by Waymire Drum Company resulting in a number of changes. Firstly, the hard washing operations were moved to the southern portion of the property and high pressure spraying was used in the place of chaining. Additionally, all the collection sumps and trenches, which had been open to the air were replaced with close topped steel tanks and hard piping. The tanks were placed over the sumps and hard piping over the trenches, allowing the initial sumps and trenches to serve as secondary containment for the upgraded equipment.
While the Cooper Drum site was owned by Waymire Drum Company, it was fitted to process plastic totes. Since 2003, no drum processing operations have occurred, and all drum processing equipment has been removed. From 2003 to 2006 the site was used by a pallet company, a trucking and towing company, and two automative repair and salvage companies.
(LAUSD). However, these studies did not show any significantly greater health problems for the students and staff at Tweedy as compared to San Gabriel Elementary, a comparable school located in a residential neighborhood.
Though the health problems of the staff and students at Tweedy Elementary could not be directly tied to Cooper Drum Co., the risks of having the elementary school next to the drum reconditioning site became apparent in April 1987. A quantity of highly caustic liquid, believed to be composed mainly of sodium hydroxide and oil, seeped underground from Cooper Drum Co. to exposed soil on the Tweedy Elementary property. The county cited Cooper Drum Co. for the contamination. Cooper Drum Co. paid for the excavation of this soil, and subsequent repaving, but this incident compounded the previous public health concerns. LAUSD closed the school in 1988.
In 1989, 20 employees, from secretaries to district psychologists, returned to Tweedy without students. Health complaints persisted, with some employees reporting reoccurring rashes that would go away when they were away from work for extended periods of time. After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began considering the Cooper Drum site as a possible Superfund
site, the employees staffed at Tweedy called for their relocation. In March 1992, the employees were permanently moved from Tweedy Elementary. Tweedy Elementary School has since relocated.
score of 50.1. In order for a site to be considered for the Superfund list, it must receive at least 28.5 points on the Hazard Ranking System scale.
The Cooper Drum site was placed onto the Superfund list on June 14, 2001, and the EPA finished conducting its Remedial Investigation of the site in May 2002. The investigation found significant amounts of volatile organic compounds VOCs, -- including tetrachloroethylene
(PCE), trichloroethylene
(TCE), and dichloroethylene (DCE) – petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and lead
. The investigation found that shallow depths of groundwater were contaminated. However, fine grained materials like clays and silts had helped prevent vertical migration of VOCs into deeper aquifers that are used for drinking water.
Following the study, the EPA issued a Record of Decision
(ROD), which selected the actions to take at the site. The groundwater remedy consisted of using a combination of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) and extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater. To treat the soil, the EPA is using dual phase extraction (DPE) to protect the aquifer that lies below the site. This technique extracts contaminated soil vapors and groundwater simultaneously.
Drum (container)
A drum is a cylindrical container used for shipping bulk cargo. Drums can be made of steel, dense paperboard , or plastics, and are generally used for the transportation and storage of liquids and powders. Drums are often certified for shipment of dangerous goods...
on a 3.8 acres (15,378.1 m²) facility in South Gate, California
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
from 1976 to 2003. They used strong chemicals to recondition the drums, leading to public concern about health impacts on the surrounding community. In particular, staff and students from Tweedy Elementary School, which borders the Cooper Drum site to the south, complained of health problems that may have resulted from exposure to toxic chemical coming from Cooper Drum Company. In June 2001, the Cooper Drum site was placed on the Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
list, marking the site as one of the most high priority toxic cleanup sites in the United States.
History
The Cooper Drum site is located at 9316 South Atlantic Avenue in South Gate, Los Angeles California. The site is bordered by industrial properties to the north and east, commercial/residential properties to the west, and Tweedy Elementary School to the south. The site had been used for reconditioning steel drums since 1941 by a series of recycling companies. In 1976, the site was purchased by Cooper Drum Company. Cooper Drum Company’s main recycling operation was reconditioning steel drums. Initially the drum reconditioning was conducted along the southern portion of the property. This was an assembly line process along an elevated concrete floor. Drums were flushed and stripped with sodium hydroxide in preparation for painting and resale. The fluids from reconditioning were transferred to two holding tanks and five clarifiers. Any solid precipitate was pumped out and transported for off-site disposal, while the liquid was reused in the conditioning process. When the drums contained solid or highly viscous material, they were subjected to hard washing. From 1976 to 1992 hard washing was conducted on the northern part of the property. During this time, hard washing consisted of placing chains and sodium hydroxide inside the drums and rolling the drums over four concrete sumps that were fitted with grates. The runoff was collected in the four sumps that were connected by open concrete trenches.In 1992, the drum reconditioning business was purchased by Waymire Drum Company resulting in a number of changes. Firstly, the hard washing operations were moved to the southern portion of the property and high pressure spraying was used in the place of chaining. Additionally, all the collection sumps and trenches, which had been open to the air were replaced with close topped steel tanks and hard piping. The tanks were placed over the sumps and hard piping over the trenches, allowing the initial sumps and trenches to serve as secondary containment for the upgraded equipment.
While the Cooper Drum site was owned by Waymire Drum Company, it was fitted to process plastic totes. Since 2003, no drum processing operations have occurred, and all drum processing equipment has been removed. From 2003 to 2006 the site was used by a pallet company, a trucking and towing company, and two automative repair and salvage companies.
Health Concerns
Beginning in 1986, both staff and students at Tweedy Elementary school began complaining of various health problems, including stomach aches, headaches, sore throats, and asthma. Staff at Tweedy and parents of the students believed the negative symptoms were caused by exposure to toxic chemicals from nearby industries. The most notable industry was Cooper Drum Company, as it was separated from Tweedy Elementary only by a brick wall. Spurred on by popular demand, surveys and health exams of staff and students were conducted by both the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
(LAUSD). However, these studies did not show any significantly greater health problems for the students and staff at Tweedy as compared to San Gabriel Elementary, a comparable school located in a residential neighborhood.
Though the health problems of the staff and students at Tweedy Elementary could not be directly tied to Cooper Drum Co., the risks of having the elementary school next to the drum reconditioning site became apparent in April 1987. A quantity of highly caustic liquid, believed to be composed mainly of sodium hydroxide and oil, seeped underground from Cooper Drum Co. to exposed soil on the Tweedy Elementary property. The county cited Cooper Drum Co. for the contamination. Cooper Drum Co. paid for the excavation of this soil, and subsequent repaving, but this incident compounded the previous public health concerns. LAUSD closed the school in 1988.
In 1989, 20 employees, from secretaries to district psychologists, returned to Tweedy without students. Health complaints persisted, with some employees reporting reoccurring rashes that would go away when they were away from work for extended periods of time. After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began considering the Cooper Drum site as a possible Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site, the employees staffed at Tweedy called for their relocation. In March 1992, the employees were permanently moved from Tweedy Elementary. Tweedy Elementary School has since relocated.
EPA Involvement
Since the chemical seep into Tweedy Elementary in 1987, at least eight soil sampling events have been conducted at the Cooper Drum site. Initial testing discovered tainted soils up to depths of 30 feet (9.1 m) and polluted water up to 53 feet (16.2 m) below the site. Following its Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI) the EPA gave the Cooper Drum site a Hazard Ranking SystemHazard Ranking System
The Hazard Ranking System is a scoring system used in the United States to evaluate potential relative risks to public health and the environment from releases or threatened releases of hazardous wastes at uncontrolled waste sites...
score of 50.1. In order for a site to be considered for the Superfund list, it must receive at least 28.5 points on the Hazard Ranking System scale.
The Cooper Drum site was placed onto the Superfund list on June 14, 2001, and the EPA finished conducting its Remedial Investigation of the site in May 2002. The investigation found significant amounts of volatile organic compounds VOCs, -- including tetrachloroethylene
Tetrachloroethylene
Tetrachloroethylene, also known under its systematic name tetrachloroethene and many other names, is a chlorocarbon with the formula Cl2C=CCl2. It is a colourless liquid widely used for dry cleaning of fabrics, hence it is sometimes called "dry-cleaning fluid." It has a sweet odor detectable by...
(PCE), trichloroethylene
Trichloroethylene
The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a chlorinated hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which is commonly known as chlorothene.The IUPAC name is...
(TCE), and dichloroethylene (DCE) – petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
. The investigation found that shallow depths of groundwater were contaminated. However, fine grained materials like clays and silts had helped prevent vertical migration of VOCs into deeper aquifers that are used for drinking water.
Following the study, the EPA issued a Record of Decision
Record of Decision
A Record of Decision in the United States is the formal decision document which is recorded for the public.- Federal Register :The ROD is announced in a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register and is printed and made available to the public on the CRMP website.-USEPA :In the USEPA, the...
(ROD), which selected the actions to take at the site. The groundwater remedy consisted of using a combination of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) and extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater. To treat the soil, the EPA is using dual phase extraction (DPE) to protect the aquifer that lies below the site. This technique extracts contaminated soil vapors and groundwater simultaneously.