EPA RCRA ID: PAD000798454
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The EPA is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
An Environmental Indicator (EI) inspection was conducted in July 2008, to determine whether human exposures to contamination and the migration of contaminated groundwater were under control. Although it appears that contamination from the facility is not widespread, further investigation may be necessary in order to determine whether both EIs are under control. EPA and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) will focus first on the health and groundwater impacts, if any, presented by the facility. Once EPA and PADEP completes this review process, an environmental indicator determination will be prepared and posted to this website. On September 12, 2018, EPA determined that the Human Health Exposures Under Control had been met, and on November 20, 2017 EPA determined that the Groundwater Migration Under Control had been met. On February 5, 2019, the EPA determined corrective action performance standards have been attained at the entire facility.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
According to the Northampton County property records website, the property was developed in 1937. Structures present at that time included two sets of railroad tracks, a commercial detached masonry garage, a commercial carport, two steel pressure tanks with a paved parking lot and a chain link fence (Source: Northampton County Tax website, 2009). The Site activities and ownership in 1937 is unknown.
Prior to 1974, the Facility was owned by Chemtron, a manufacturer of plastic products, which was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Not much is known about Chemtron except that site activities included utilization of a nitro building. The Site was purchased by PPG Industries, Inc. in 1974 and was used for the production of fire‑retardant concentrates and compounds, which were pelletized for resale. The flame retardant pellets were mainly used for cabinetry needs. This Facility also pelletized a non-dust form of pure antimony concentrate for resale. From 1974 to 1984, colorant was used in the production process. Prior to 1984, the Facility was involved in transferring liquid phosgene from one-ton cylinders to 150-pound cylinders for distribution. Phosgene remaining in the vapor space of the cylinders was vented to an ammonia scrubber, where it was neutralized, creating a build up of ammonium chloride. Blowdown was directed to an on-Site cooling pond. The cooling pond was also used for recirculation of cooling water generated by the Facility. The start-up date for the pond is unknown. The closing date was December 1984.
In September 1994, the Polymer Products Company, a branch of the PMC Group headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, obtained the Site from PPG Industries under formal Change of Ownership. Tax records indicate that the property was transferred in 1995 from Polymer Products Company to Northampton County New Jobs Corporation (Source: Northampton County Tax Office, 2009). The most recent record of transfer was in March 2001 from Northampton County New Jobs Corporation to Polymer Products Co., Inc. It is not known if production continued during these real estate transfers.
The Facility currently specializes in the design, development, and production of plastic additive masterbatches and flame retardant compounds. An additive masterbatch is a concentrate containing active ingredients that produce specific performance benefits in either the manufacturing process or the end product. Products produced at the Facility include flame retardant masterbatches, stabilizer masterbatches, static dissipative masterbatches, ignition resistant styrenics, flame retardant polyolefins, and specialty masterbatches and compounds. These products are utilized in a broad range of applications.
Contaminants at this Facility
No contaminants of concern are currently at the facility.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
[Institutional controls were not required at the facility.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.