EPA Updates on W. Va. Radiological Site Risks

Image: EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region met with partners from state and local government to engage with the Fairmont, W. Va., community, elected officials, and environmental advocates during a public meeting at the West Virginia State Office Building on Nov. 14.

Attendees were invited to hear updates about the Fairmont Brine Site emergency response from the Unified Command, which includes the EPA, West Virginia Department of Health, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and Marion County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

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More than 80 people attended to learn about decontamination efforts at the Fairmont Brine Site, TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) and radiological risks, and the coordinated response by Unified Command to protect the local community.

TENORM is naturally occurring radioactive materials that have been concentrated or exposed to the environment because of human activities such as manufacturing, mineral extraction, or water processing.

Key topics discussed included:

Radiation and Human Health: The WVDH Office of Environmental Health Services presented information about the state’s radiological health program and the health effects of radiation and TENORM. The EPA Superfund and Emergency Management Division shared the findings of the radiological and environmental surveys and sampling which confirmed elevated levels of TENORM, including Radium 226, at the Fairmont Brine Site.
Response and Removal Activities: The EPA reviewed the types of activities that have taken place since the start of the response last year and their focus on evaluating, identifying, securing, and removing any hazardous chemicals or materials that may pose an immediate risk to human health and the environment.
Transparency: The EPA also shared highlights of the community involvement work coordinated by the Joint Information Center, including a public hotline, comprehensive website, after-hours community meetings, and communications products distributed to the local community. The JIC includes all Unified Command agencies and coordinates effective communication with the public and interested parties.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry provided the following statement that was shared with meeting attendees, “While it is possible that the Fairmont Brine site might have posed a risk to trespassers in the past, the Fairmont Brine Unified Command believes that the current radiological risk to the public has been significantly lessened by physical site controls (such as fencing and signage) that have been put into place. The Unified Command is committed to the protection of public health and will communicate site actions on a regular basis while decontamination efforts continue.”