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News Releases from Region 04

EPA to Provide Community Update on Environmental Study in Grenada, Miss.

01/21/2016
Contact Information: 
Davina Marraccini (marraccini.davina@epa.gov)
404-562-8293, 404-562-8400

ATLANTA - On Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) together with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will host a public meeting to provide an update on an ongoing environmental study in the Eastern Heights neighborhood of Grenada, Miss. The agencies are investigating whether contamination, primarily the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), associated with the Grenada Manufacturing, LLC, facility may be entering nearby homes in the form of a vapor from contamination below ground or from another source.

EPA and MDEQ representatives will provide an overview of the site contamination, review the ongoing sampling effort and answer residents' questions. Representatives from ATSDR and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) will be present to answer health-related questions.

Who:
EPA
MDEQ
ATSDR
MSDH

What:
Update on the Environmental Study in Eastern Heights, Grenada, Miss.

When:
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 from 6-8 p.m.***

A Meet and Greet session with representatives from the Agencies will be held from 2-4 p.m. for individuals not able to attend the public meeting.

*** Press availability will be held from 5:30-5:45 p.m.; RSVP to marraccini.davina@epa.gov

Where:
Grenada City Auditorium
17 N. Main Street
Grenada, Miss.

Between September and October 2015, EPA oversaw sampling by ARCADIS (contracted by a former operator at Grenada Manufacturing, LLC) of indoor air at six residences, outdoor air, and groundwater in the Eastern Heights neighborhood. EPA has determined that there is no immediate concern for public health, but that additional investigations are needed.

TCE was detected in residential indoor air at levels above regional screening levels, but below levels that require a response action. Specifically, the concentrations of TCE detected in indoor air ranged from 0.65 to 1.1 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3), all below the corresponding EPA action level of 6.3 ug/m3 for the general population or 2 ug/m3 for sensitive sub-populations (i.e., women in their 1st trimester of pregnancy). TCE was also detected at similar levels in the outdoor (ambient) air near the six residences.

The indoor and outdoor sampling results suggest that contaminants are not entering homes from a below-ground source, such as groundwater, but possibly from an outdoor source. Further sampling is needed to confirm this observation. EPA plans to conduct follow-up sampling in and around the same six homes, together with additional homes, to confirm the results.

EPA conducted additional ambient air sampling in mid-January 2016 and plans to conduct additional ambient air sampling in the near future to determine whether any outdoor sources of TCE exist and whether any response actions are necessary. Other efforts are underway to develop groundwater remediation plans, both on the Grenada Manufacturing, LLC property and in the neighborhood.

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