Health & Environment for Lower Neponset River, Boston/Milton, MA
- What Are the Risks at the Site?
- Contaminant Information
- Performance Measures
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
What Are the Risks at the Site?
The PCB contamination likely poses a risk to human and ecological receptors. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued a Freshwater Fish Consumption Advisory as well as a Recreational Use of the Neponset River Factsheet (pdf) for the Lower Neponset River area. It has been reported that people still fish at a wide variety of locations.
A comprehensive human health and ecological risk assessment will be conducted now that the site is listed to the National Priorities List.
Learn more about the health effects of PCBs.
Contaminant Information
PCBs are a group of man-made organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms. PCBs were manufactured in the US from 1929 until their manufacture was banned in 1979.
PCBs entered the air, water, and soil during their manufacture, use, and disposal; from spills and leaks during their transport; and from leaks in products containing PCBs.
Once in the environment, most PCBs do not readily break down and may remain for very long periods of time. PCBs can travel long distances in the air and via suspended solids in water and be deposited in areas far from where they were originally released.
In water, a small amount of PCBs may be dissolved, but most stick to organic particles and soil/sediment. That is because soil and sediment consist not just of mineral particles, but also include organic carbon.
For more information on PCBs, please visit EPA's PCB webpage.
Performance Measures
EPA uses performance measures to track environmental results at Superfund sites. If you have any questions or concerns about the measures at this site, please contact the site team members listed under Site Contacts.
Read more about Superfund Remedial Performance Measures.
| Performance Measure | Status at this Superfund Site | What does this mean? |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control | Insufficient Data | Yes means assessments indicate that across the entire site:
No means an unsafe level of contamination has been detected at the site and a reasonable expectation exists that people could be exposed. Insufficient data means that, due to uncertainty regarding exposures, one cannot draw conclusions as to whether human exposures are controlled, typically because:
|
| Groundwater Migration Under Control | Not yet designated |
Yes means EPA reviewed all information on known and reasonably expected groundwater contamination. EPA concluded the migration of contaminated groundwater is stabilized and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA will conduct monitoring to confirm that affected groundwater remains in the original area of contamination. No means EPA has reviewed all information on known and reasonably expected groundwater contamination, and the migration of contaminated groundwater is not stabilized. Insufficient data means that due to uncertainty regarding contaminated groundwater migration, EPA cannot draw conclusions as to whether the migration of contaminated groundwater is stabilized. |
| Construction Complete | No |
Yes means the physical construction of the cleanup is complete for the entire site. No means either physical construction is not complete or actions are still needed to address contamination. |
| Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use | No | Yes means:
No means that one or more of these three criteria have not been met. However, a site listed as no may still have redevelopment occurring on portions of the site and additional redevelopment may be possible. Important Note: Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use (SWRAU) is an internal performance measure and is not a reporting of site-specific risk. The determination that a site is SWRAU is based on the information available at the time the determination is made. That determination may revert if site conditions change, or if new or additional information is discovered regarding the contamination at the site. |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
For more general information on hazardous substances please visit: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxicological-profiles/about/