August 31, 1999
Threat to environment by tire fire worse than first admitted
By Carol Bogart
Staff Writer
As known cancer-causing chemicals from the Kirby Tire Recycling fire creep closer to Tiffin's water intake in the Sandusky River, the accuracy of information being given to local residents is being questioned.
Early in the investigation, Ohio EPA officials said all airborne toxins were being burned off because the fire "burned so hot." However, Paul Koval, an Environmental Protection Agency toxicologist told The (Columbus) Dispatch that, even in full blaze, about half of the pollution escapes into the air.
That pollution, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, contains cancer-causers like benzene and benzo(a)pyrine.
Initially, Ohio EPA officials said Sycamore Creek was not at risk because oily runoff from the blaze had been "contained." But a backhoe deepening a pit for the runoff apparently hit a field tile, allowing so much oil to flow into the creek that fish immediately were affected.
At first, reports were that only one or two fish were found floating. Now, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says up to 10,000 fish had died as of Friday. The numbers mount.
Ohio EPA indicated groundwater -- the underground aquifer filling private and Sycamore's wells, and possibly wells from which Tiffin draws its water -- was safe because ground under and around the site is all "clay till." Farmers in the area, and firefighters at the scene, say not only are there sand seams, some areas are so sandy that ponds won't hold water.
Ohio EPA's Jeff Steers acknowledges:
- The containment pond doesn't have a liner
- There are areas of standing, unsampled water at the site (which may be contaminated by oil from the fire and foam used to fight it)
- The agency doesn't know which direction groundwater flows and doesn't know how fast it's going
- "No imminent threat to public health," in terms of groundwater, means "only until potentially contaminated groundwater is ingested or bathed in."
Steers said the Wyandot County Health Department has sampled private wells in a 30-mile radius to establish a "baseline" -- in other words, what water in wells was like before potential chemical contamination from the Kirby Tire fire. Getting those results could take another week or more.
Steers says Ohio EPA has "no long-term plan for remediating the groundwater." He acknowledges the two-week time frame for getting initial sampling results back is standard turnaround time, and couldn't say whether faster results would be requested.
A U.S. Fire Administration report to Congress (1997-1998) states, "Tire fires yield large amounts of oil that are flammable and environmentally contaminating. Tire fires frequently become major hazardous materials incidents affecting entire communities, often requiring neighborhood evacuations and protracted fire operations. These fires threaten pollution of the air, waterways and water table."
Environmentally, the greatest concern is the large volume of run-off oil and its potential for contaminating groundwater and wells -- particularly in areas with sinkholes and sand seams.
An OSHA Special Report states: "For every million tires consumed by fire, about 55,000 gallons of run-off are produced. The average passenger car tire is estimated to produce about two gallons of oil. Tire fire run-off is a significant environmental pollutant that can get into groundwater and contaminate well water.
"Even when completely covered, it is estimated that tire fires can continue to smolder deep in the base of the pile for weeks, requiring
continued observation and environmental monitoring."
The report concludes, "Threats to people and threats to the environment do not disappear when the smoke clears and the last ember is extinguished. Tire remnants, as well as the extinguishing agent that was applied, still contain toxic substances.
"While the immediate problem is resolved, the remaining problems are more long term, and perhaps just as critical. The questions loom: what to do with extinguishing agent runoff, and what to do with the remaining tires?"
At Kirby Tire, 90 percent of the pile remains.
Get a summary of Tire Fires: A Report to Congress or to download a copy, visit www.usfa.fema.gov/usfapubs/tirefirerep.htm