Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Naturally Occurring Asbestos
El Dorado Hills
Multimedia Exposure Assessment
Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection Report Interim Final
7.0 Emergency Response Considerations
The National Contingency Plan (40 CFR 300. 415 (b)(2)), authorizes the U. S. EPA to consider emergency response actions at sites that pose an imminent threat to human health or the environment. U. S. EPA is continuing to evaluate whether asbestos in disturbed soils at the locations that are the subject of this PA/SI poses an imminent threat requiring mitigative measures.
The U. S. EPA has met with local, state, and federal agencies; the El Dorado Hills Community Services District; and the schools to discuss preliminary results from the sampling. The U. S. EPA has initiated efforts to convene a science advisory panel of health and asbestos experts to evaluate the data and answer a series of questions about the significance of the exposures.
8.0 Summary
To assess the potential for exposure from naturally occurring asbestos present in soils that have been disturbed, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U. S. EPA), Region IX, tasked the Ecology and Environment, Inc., (E & E) Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) to conduct a multimedia assessment of community areas and schools in El Dorado Hills in El Dorado County, California.
The START collected activity-based air samples, reference air samples, and soil samples at and around the following areas in El Dorado Hills:
- The El Dorado Hills Community Park, including several play areas and the New York Creek Nature Trail;
- Silva Valley Elementary School;
- Jackson Elementary School;
- Rolling Hills Middle School, including the dirt embankment inside the school’s eastern boundary (Dirt Embankment); and
- An unpaved lot used for parking on public property adjacent to and in front of Rolling Hills Middle School (Dirt Parking Area).
The most significant HRS factors associated with the El Dorado Hills Naturally Occurring Asbestos Multimedia Assessment site are as follows:
- Asbestos is known to be naturally occurring in soils in El Dorado Hills.
- Activity-based sampling through disturbing soils at schools and recreation areas within El Dorado Hills shows the presence of asbestos at elevated levels in air at breathing heights for children and adults.
- In addition to asbestos that occurs naturally in soil, asbestos may be present in non-native soils used as “infield mix ” on some or all of the playing fields that were studied.
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