Detecting Termiticides and Lead Contamination in Housing

The U.S. Army is in the process of transferring family housing facilities to private contractors under the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI). RCI will improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families by upgrading existing housing units or building new housing units. Prior to the transfer of the housing units to the private contractors, the housing units must be tested for probable contaminants in an effort to eliminate possible health concerns produced by future contact with the contaminants; two such contaminants are termiticides and lead.

Chlordane was commonly used as a termiticide applied to housing building foundations, including U.S. Army housing, during construction and maintenance until approximately 1978. This pesticide is extremely persistent in the environment and the affected soil is protected from weathering and vertical migration due to the covering of the structure. Eventually, the chlordane in the soil can become airborne and contaminate the ambient air inside the structure. As a result, chlordane is a concern for indoor air quality in structures to which it has been applied.

Lead in the soil was also of concern due to the use of lead-based paint on the interior and exterior of many buildings for decades. Lead is commonly known to have an adverse effect on the physical and mental developmental growth of children. As the externally applied lead-based paint ages, flakes and chips fall, causing contamination of the soil surrounding the housing structure.

Staff members from three different Battelle divisions are involved in a project to determine the extent of the termiticide residue in the air, as well as lead contamination and termiticide residue in the soil and the indoor air around Army housing. The effort is being managed by staff at the Battelle Eastern Science and Technology (BEST) Center, with sample collection support from the BEST Center and the Environmental Restoration (ER) division at Battelle Columbus Operations (BCO). Analytical support is provided by the Atmospheric Science and Applied Technology (ASAT) division at BCO.

In August 2002, sampling crews from the BEST Center and ER went to Fort Hood located in Killeen, Texas, to sample indoor air and soil. The air, soil, and wipe samples were sent to ASAT for extraction and analyses. Data were reported to the client in complete data packages, which included details of the sample collection, extraction, and results.

The results varied from site to site. Lindane, aldrin, chlorpyrifos, heptachlor, and dieldrin were found in several soil samples. Heptachlor and chlorpyrifos were found in several air samples.

For more information, contact Ms. Kim Andrews at (614) 424-5254, andrewsk@battelle.org.