arsenic and metals in soils in the vicinity of the imperial oil company superfund site, marlboro ...

262 Pages·2009·20.13 MB·English

u.s. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
ARSENIC AND METALS IN SOILS IN THE VICINITY
OF THE IMPERIAL OIL COMPANY SUPERFUND SITE,
MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, MONMOUTH COUNTY,
NEW JERSEY
u.s.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4016
Prepared in cooperation with the
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY and the
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
ARSENIC AND METALS IN SOILS IN THE VICINITY
OF THE IMPERIAL OIL COMPANY SUPERFUND SITE,
MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, MONMOUTH COUNTY,
NEW JERSEY
ByJulia L. Barringer, Zoltan Szabo, and Thomas H. Barringer
u.s.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4016
Prepared in cooperation with the
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY and the
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
WestTrenton, NewJersey
1998
_USGS
scienceforachangingworld
u.s.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary
u.s.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Thomas J. Casadevall, Acting Director
For additional information Copies ofthis report can be
write to: purchased from:
District Chief U.S. Geological Survey
U.S Geological SUivey Branch ofInfOimation Services
Mountain View Office Park Box 25286
810 BearTavern Road, Suite206 Denver, CO 80225-0286
West Trenton, NJ 08628
CONTENTS
Page
Abstract 1
Introduction 2
Acknowledgments 4
Historical background 5
DiscovelY ofarsenic contamination ofsoils 5
Past activities at the Imperial Oil Company site 5
FOlmer land use in the study area 6
Undeveloped forested and agricultural areas 6
Residential area 1 7
Residential area2 10
Geology and soils 10
Geology 10
Soils 12
Mobility ofmetallic substances in soils 15
Arsenic : 17
Barium 17
Copper 17
Lead 18
Zinc 18
Study approach and methods 19
Design ofstudy 19
Sampling-network development 19
Analytical strategy 25
Soil sampling. sample preparation. and soil analysis .26
Soil sampling 26
Sample preparation 27
Soil analysis 28
Air-flow modeling 28
Data analysis 29
Data conditioning 29
Statistical analysis 31
Quality-assurance program 32
Objectives 32
Design 33
Sample collection and prcparation 35
Sample analysis 36
Air-flow modeling 37
Soil-profilecharacteristics and mineralogy at sample-collection sites 37
Characteristics ofsoil profiles at sample-collection sites 37
Mineralogy ofsoil sanlples 38
Distribution ofarsenic and metals in soils .38
Vertical distribution ofarsenic and metals in undisturbed soil profiles .38
III
CONTENTS--Continued
Page
Arsenic 41
Barium 43
Copper 43
Lead 44
Zinc 44
Othermetals 44
Geochemical associations amongselected metallic constituents .45
Relations ofsoil characteristics and concentrations ofarsenic and metalsto land use .48
Relation ofsoil characteristics to land use 48
Absence ofsoil horizons 48
Presence offoreign debris 48
Relation ofconcentrations ofarsenicand metals to land use 51
Imperial Oil Company Superfund site 53
Study area 55
Arsenic 55
Barium: : 63
Copper 65
Lead 65
Lead isotopes 70
Zinc 72
Othermetals 72
Relation ofgeochemical associations amongconstituentli to land use 75
Classification ofsoils by land use 80
Nonrepresentative soil samples 80
Representative soil samples 82
Classification ofsoil samples by lcad-isotope ratios 86
Sources ofarsenic and metals in soils 89
Natural sources 89
Imperial Oil Company Superfund site 90
Smokestack plume 90
Earth-moving and other activities 94
Orchardpesticides 95
Summary and conclusions 97
References cited 99
Appendix I--Summary ofanalytical methods and chemical and field data for soil samples
collected during 1995-96, Imperial Oil Company Superfund site study area,
New Jersey 106
Appendix 2--Samplecollection, preparation, and documentation 211
Appendix 3--Preliminary air-emission model 219
Appendix 4-Quality assurance 223
Appendix 5-Statistical analysis ofchemical data 235
IV
ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
Figure l. Map showing location ofImperial Oil Company Superfund siteand nearby
residential areas, Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey 3
2. Map showing partofthe study area, showing orchards and forests digitized
from aerial photographs taken in 1932 8
3. Aerial photographs showing part ofthe study area in 1932 and 1940 9
4. Map showingoutcrop areas ofthe Woodbury, Englishtown, and
Marshalltown Formations in the study area II
5. Section showing stratigraphy ofsoils and sediments at eight locations north of
Orchard Parkway in residential area 2, Marlboro Township, Monmouth
County, New Jersey 13
6. Section showingstratigraphy ofsoils and sediments at seven locations south of
Orchard Parkway in residential area 2, Marlboro Township, Monmouth County,
New Jersey 14
7. Diagram showing idealized soil profile, New Jersey Coastal Plain soils 16
8. Map showing location ofsoil-samplingsites within 0.5 mile ofthe Imperial
Oil Company Superfund site, MarlboroTownship, Monmouth County,
New Jersey 21
9. Map showing location ofsoil-sampling sites in the study area, Monmouth and
Middlesex Counties, New Jersey .22
10. Graphs showing concentrations ofarsenic and lead in soil profiles from
undeveloped areas, orchards, and residential areas, Monmouth and
Middlesex Counties, New Jersey .42
II. Graph showing relation ofarsenic concentrationsto iron concentrations and
aluminum concentrations in A-horizon soil samples, Monmouth and
Middlesex Counties, New Jersey .46
12. Boxplots showing distribution ofarsenic concentrations in soil and clay
samples from undeveloped forested areas, Monmouth and Middlesex
Counties, New Jersey 47
13. Graphs showing relation oflead concentrations and copperconcentrationsto
total organic carbon concentrations in A-horizon soil samples, Monmouth
and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey .49
14. Photographs ofcindery slag and brick fragments from soils atand nearthe
Imperial Oil Company Superfund site, Marlboro Township, Monmouth
County, New Jersey 50
15. Map showing locations ofbuildings and other features at, and metal
concentrations in soil samples from, the Imperial Oil Company Superfund site,
MarlboroTownship, Monmouth County, New Jersey 52
v
ILLUSTRATIONS-Continued
Page
Figure 16. Boxplots showingdistribution ofarsenicconcentrations in soil horizonsand
clays by endmemberusc, Monmouth andMiddlesex Counties, New Jersey 56
17. Boxplots showing distribution ofarsenic concentrations in soil horizonsand
clays in woods and residential areas adjacent to and near the Imperial Oil
Company Superfund site, Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New
Jersey 60
18. Map showing arsenic concentrations in A-horizon soils in the vicinity ofthe
Imperial Oil Company Superfundsite, Marlboro Township, Monmouth
County. New Jersey 61
19. Map showing arsenic concentrations in A-horizon soils more than 0.5 mile
from the Imperial Oil Company Superfundsite. MarlboroTownship,
Monmouth County, New Jersey 62
20. Boxplots showing distribution ofbarium concentrations in samples from soil
horizons and clays by land use, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties,
New Jersey 64
21. Boxplots showingdistribution ofcopperconcentrations in samples from soil
horizons and clays by land use, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties,
New Jersey 66
22. Boxplots showing distribution oflead concentrations in samples from soil
horizons and clays by endmember land use, Monmouth and Middlesex
Counties, New Jersey 68
23. Boxplots showingdistribution oflead concentrations in samples from soil
horizons and clays in residential arcas in the vicinity ofthe Imperial Oil
Company Superfund site, Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New
Jersey 69
24. Boxplots showing distribution ofzinc concentrations in samples from soil
horizons and clays by land use, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, New
Jersey 73
25. Boxplots showing distribution ofiron concentrations in samples from soil
horizons andclays by land use, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, New
Jersey 74
26. Graph showing proportions ofarsenic, barium, and zinc in A-horizon soil
samples from different land-usc areas, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties,
New Jersey 76
27. Graph showing relation ofnickel concentration to total organic carbon
concentration in A-hOlizon soil samples from different land-use areas,
Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey 78
28. Graph showing logarithmic relation between barium and copperconcentrations
in A-horizon soils from different land-use areas, Monmouth and Middlesex
Counties, New Jersey 79
vi
ILLUSTRATIONS-Continued
Page
Figure 29. Graphs showing logarithmic relations between concentrations ofchromium
and nickel, arsenic and barium-to-zinc ratio, lead and vanadium, and barium
and copperin A-horizon soil samples from the woods adjacentto the
Imperial Oil Superfundsite and from undeveloped areas, Monmouth and
Middlesex Counties, NewJersey 81
208
30. Graph showing ratio of Pb to 204Pb as a function ofratioor206Pb to204Pb in
selected soil samples from undeveloped and orchard areas, woodsadjaccnt
to the Imperial Oil CompanySuperfund site, and residential areas Iand 2,
and in samples with ratios indicativeofatmospheric deposition, Monmouth
and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey 87
31. Graph showing ratio of207Pb to 204Pb as a function ofratio of2Cl6Pbto 2Cl4Pb
in selected soil samples from undeveloped and orchard areas, woods
adjacent to thc Imperial Oil CompanySuperfund site, and residential areas
I and 2, and in samples with ratios indicative ofatmospheric deposition,
Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey 88
32. Graph showing simulated downwind concentrations ofcontaminant in airat
ground level determined by using atwo-dimensional air-flow screening
model 92
33. Diagram showing dry-deposition pattern ofsmall particles in the vicinity
ofthe Imperial Oil Company Superfund site simulated by usingan arbitrary
normalized emission rate of Igram persecond and meteorological data
from 1984-89 from Newark and Atlantic Cityairports, NewJersey 93
TABLES
Table I. Description ofthe soil-samplingsites, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties,
New Jersey 23
2. Constituents and characteristics measured in soil samples from Monmouth
and Middlescx Counties, New Jersey, 1995-96 25
3. Soil samples for which chemical-constituent data were used in statistical
analyses, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties. New Jersey 30
4. Mineralogy and percentage ofsilt and clay in selccted soil samples, Monmouth
and Middlesex Counties, NewJersey .39
5. Constituent concentrations in slag from the Imperial Oil CompanySuperfund site
and residential-area site R22, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, New
Jersey 53
6. Arsenic concentrations in A-horizon soil samples from four land-use categories
and woods adjacent to the Impcrial Oil Company Superfund site, Monmouth
and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey 56
7. Arsenic concentrations in clays from four land-use categories and woods
adjacent to the Impetial Oil Company Superfund site, Monmouth and
Middlesex Counties. NewJersey 59
VII
TABLES-Continued
Page
Table 8. Lead-isotope ratios andconcentrations in selected soil samples, Monmouth
and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey 71
9. Summaryofselected results ofdiscriminant and principal-component
modeling to classifysoil samples, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties,
New Jersey 84
viii
CONVERSION FACTORS, VERTICALDATUM, AND
ABBREVIATIONS
Multiply ~ To obtain
Length
inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter(mm)
inch (in'> 2.54 centimeter (cm)
foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)
mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer
acre 4,047 square meter(m2)
acre 0.4047 hectare
square foot (ft2) 0.09294 squaremeter
Volume
ounce, fluid (fl. oz) 29.57 milliliter(mL)
ounce, fluid (fl. oz) 0.02957 liter(L)
pint(pt) 0.4732 liter
quart (qt) 0.9464 liter
gallon (gal) 3.785 liter
ounce, avoirdupois (oz) 28.35 gram (g)
ounce, avoirdupois(oz) 28,350 milligram (mg)
ounce,avoirdupois(oz) 28,350,000 microgram (J..lg)
pound, avoirdupois (lb) 0.4536 kilogram (kg)
Temperature
degree Fahrenheit (OF) degree Celsius (0C)
Vertical Datum
Sea level: In this report "sealevel" refers to the National GeodeticVertical Datum of1929--a
geodeticdatum derived from a general adjustmentofthe first-order level netsofthe United
Statesand Canada, formerly caUed Sea Level Datum of1929.
Abbreviations
gls -grams persecond
J..lg/s -micrograms persecond
mls -meters persecond
mg/kg -milligrams per kilogram
J..lg/kg -micrograms perkilogram
mg/m2 -milligrams persquare meter
ppm -parts permillion (equivalentto mg/kg)
IX