4.3.5          Short-Term Effectiveness -- Support Technologies

The potential short-term effectiveness of support technologies
involves worker safety considerations and potential community
exposure.  The technologies impact on these areas is discussed
below.

Worker Safety

Worker safety considerations associated with application of
support technologies include general site hazards and potential
chemical hazards.  General site hazards include the following :

          Heavy equipment hazards

          Occupational noise exposure

          Potential slip, trip, or fall hazards

          Airborne dust hazards

          Heat and cold stress

Exposure to site hazards would be reduced by providing (1)
appropriate safety equipment for protection against noise, dust,
and liquid exposure; and (2) awareness training to orient
personnel with on-site physical hazards.

During excavation, handling, and transportation of PCB-
contaminated material, short-term potential chemical risks to the
remediation crew through direct contact, ingestion, and
inhalation of PCB-contaminated material may result.  However,
steps should be taken during excavating, staging, and loading
PCB-contaminated materials to reduce and control any risks.  For
example, material handling equipment  could diminish air
dispersal of particulates and possible volatilization of organics
during excavation.  Also, dust suppression techniques such as
lightly dampening material with a surfactant and water solution
as it is excavated and air monitoring should also be conducted
during excavation.  For further control, the excavated material
could be transported to the CTF where it could be sorted within
an enclosed building.  All trucks transporting excavated
materials to the CTF should be covered and wetted to limit
fugitive releases.  

On-site workers should be properly safety trained and experienced
in the safe operation of equipment and chemicals used for
excavation and secondary treatment.  On-site workers would wear
the appropriate level of protection during excavation of PCB-
contaminated material and treatment of lagoon water,
decontamination water, and process treatment water.  The specific
level of protection worn will be determined by the level of
dermal and inhalation protection necessary.  Air monitoring would
be conducted to assist in determining the required level of
protection.  The OSHA PCB exposure limit for an 8-hour time
weighted average is 1.0 mg/m3.  Care should be practiced by the
remediation crew to maintain the integrity of the six sites and
minimize any potential contaminant migration through the
fractured bedrock.

Potential Community Exposure

Excavation activities may result in potential impacts on the
community.  Adults and children near the six sites may be exposed
to fugitive dust resulting from the excavation of PCB-
contaminated material requiring treatment.  However, dust
suppression measures and engineering controls should minimize any
impacts.  Continuous air monitoring will assist in determining if
dust control measures are effective and also indicate when
additional health and safety or engineering measures are
necessary.  Engineering controls would be used to reduce the
contamination of surface water and sediment by fugitive dusts
from the excavated material.  Potential surface water releases
would also be minimized by incorporating a sequential approach to
the excavation activities.  This approach includes daily
backfilling and placement of erosion control material at
excavation swaths.  

Site access at the six sites and CTF would be controlled to
greatly reduce the potential for direct contact with contaminated
materials.  Before transporting excavated materials off site, all
trucks and equipment  should be decontaminated, and the
decontamination water should be collected for treatment to
minimize off-site migration.