Binary fire update - November 2005

Update

Cleanup status

Cleanup status
Cleanup priorities
What chemicals escaped in the fire?
Cleanup and containment - work so far
Who is conducting the cleanup?
Saltwater Creek
What about the factory site itself?
What happens next?
I have more questions
Environmental concerns
Health concerns

Cleanup status

The Queensland Government, with assistance from Caboolture Shire Council, is overseeing the environmental cleanup at the Narangba Industrial Estate and surrounding areas, following a large fire at the Binary Industries factory on 25 August 2005. The fire resulted in pesticides, including insecticides and herbicides, escaping onto the factory site and into the environment immediately adjacent to the factory.

Initial emergency works undertaken as part of the fire fighting effort prevented a substantial chemical flow running directly into nearby Saltwater Creek.

There is however, significant contamination and environmental damage to the areas between the Binary factory site and 700 metres of creek bed along the length of Magnesium Street. Most of the chemical run-off was captured in a creek bed to the east of the factory site along Magnesium Street. These areas are outlined in the map below.

Cleanup priorities

Since the incident, additional work has focused on preventing the spread of contamination on the Binary site and off-site areas. The current work priority is to manage contaminated areas effectively by:

removing as much contaminated material as possible from the affected areas
containing remaining contaminated materials within the already affected areas, to prevent further spread by placing barriers or bunds.
continuing environmental monitoring.

Despite these containment measures, contamination run-off from the Binary site still presents a potential risk of environmental harm to Saltwater Creek and the estuary into which it discharges.

What chemicals escaped in the fire?

Investigations show a wide range of chemicals were stored at Binary Industries.

The majority of chemicals were pesticides commonly found in domestic and agricultural applications. Examples of chemicals detected in monitoring results include chlorpyrifos, 2,4-D, glyphosate and diuron. There will be a natural breakdown of the chemicals over time. However, this will depend on the environmental factors, such as high temperatures, which help speed up the chemical break down; and high rainfall, which would dilute the chemicals.

A small amount of copper chrome arsenate (CCA) was also released.

Cleanup and containment - work so far

What is being done?
To date much has been done to clean up and manage contaminated soil, water and chemical sludges from the affected areas. Significant containment work has already been completed, and more work to isolate and manage the contaminated areas is planned.

Work completed to date includes:

Immediately following the fire, pumping out contaminated fire fighting water from the Magnesium Street creek bed and from the area immediately beyond the dam at Potassium Street
Construction of earth dams along the length of the creek bed beside Magnesium Street to contain contaminants within the affected areas and allow for subsequent treatment and disposal
Construction of a rock-lined stormwater diversion to allow clean stormwater flows to by-pass contaminated areas if heavy rain occurs
Construction of a catch pond to collect any contaminated rainwater from the Binary site itself
Scraping and removal of soil from accessible areas next to the factory site
Removal of trees inside the contaminated areas to provide site access for earthworking machinery
Construction of a temporary dam in Saltwater Creek at the corner of Boundary and Lipscombe Roads to minimise any threat of environmental harm by slowing down the flow of low-level contamination in the creek until natural processes and heavy rainfall sufficiently dilutes the contaminants.
Environmental monitoring of the affected areas and downstream in Saltwater Creek.
Clean up of contaminated materials and sludges from the Binary site and securely store them until appropriate treatment or disposal can be undertaken
Work to raise and upgrade a dam wall on the Binary site has been completed, to securely store contaminated water until it can be treated on site, or safely removed.

Who is conducting the cleanup?
The Queensland Government stepped in to take over the cleanup effort from Binary Industries in September 2005. A multi-agency group is overseeing the cleanup, comprised of the department, Queensland Emergency Services, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, Queensland Health, Department of State Development and Innovation and Caboolture Shire Council. The State Government has also engaged environmental engineers GHD to provide professional support to the project.

Saltwater Creek

Is there contamination in Saltwater Creek?
The water in Saltwater Creek has been regularly tested at a number of locations between Potassium Street and Lipscombe Road. Testing has shown that some of the chemicals had escaped into the upper reaches of Saltwater Creek from the creek's headwaters near Magnesium Street to where the creek reaches Neon Street.

While the levels of chemical detected in the upper reaches of the creek may have some environmental impact, Queensland Health advises the levels do not indicate a human health risk from small exposures to the water.

Water sampling in the lower reaches of Saltwater Creek near Lipscombe Road indicate water quality has not been significantly affected in this area at this point at this time. Water sampling will continue to monitor for potential further spread of chemicals, as this is still a possibility. These water quality tests will also gauge the environmental harm to the creek and will show the rate at which chemicals are diluting and naturally degrading.

Should people stay away from Saltwater Creek?
Yes. As a safety precaution, people are advised to stay away from Saltwater Creek upstream of Lipscombe Road. Signs have been erected to advise people to stay away. Water testing in the upper reaches of the creek shows the presence of some chemical contamination. This testing indicates small exposures to the water are not a significant human health risk. However, as a precautionary measure, people should not drink or swim in water from Saltwater Creek. Residents should keep their pets away from the area. Because the mixture of chemicals in the creek includes herbicides, creek water should not be used for agricultural or domestic purposes.

What testing for contamination is being done?
Water and soil monitoring has occurred and periodic testing is ongoing. These tests show that the Binary Industries site, the area between the factory site and the creek bed along Magnesium Street, and 700 metres of the creed bed itself is contaminated. These areas should be avoided and have been partially fenced to prevent public access.

Air quality monitoring at the Binary Industries site shows that air quality at the site is well within accepted workplace health and safety limits.

Would dead fish or birds in the creek mean it is contaminated?
To date there have not been significant numbers of dead fish in Saltwater Creek and no dead birds, however a fish kill or bird deaths is still a possibility. A fish kill or bird deaths may not necessarily indicate a human health hazard, but would require further water testing to establish the exact cause, and to find out if there was a potential human health risk.

Fish kills may occur because of contamination, but fish are more sensitive to many chemicals than humans, and are continuously exposed because they live in water.

If you see dead fish or birds in the area please immediately call the department's Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372.

Is groundwater affected?
Initial testing shows groundwater in the immediate vicinity of the Binary Industries site has been moderately affected. Further testing of groundwater will establish the extent of the contamination. Should you have any concerns about groundwater usage, please contact the department for further advice by contacting the Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372.

What about the factory site itself?

Should people stay away from areas near to the Binary Industries site?
Yes. Unauthorised people must not enter the contaminated areas near the Binary Industries site, including the partially fenced creek bed that runs along Magnesium Street. Signs have been erected to alert people of unsafe areas. The area south-west of the Binary Industries site has been fenced off.

Is the odour from the site a health risk?
The presence of odour is not necessarily an indication of a risk to health. While the odour of the chemicals involved in the fire is unpleasant and can cause discomfort in some people, Queensland Health advises the odour does not indicate a toxic health impact.

If there is no health risk, why are workers at the site wearing protective suits?
Authorised workers involved with the cleanup operation will be wearing white overalls and face masks over part of the faces while they work on site.

While this may look dramatic, the equipment is commonly used to protect workers in the chemical cleanup industry. These workers, in their day-to-day duties, have frequent and long-term occupational exposure to hazardous chemical substances, and for this reason routinely wear protective equipment. The community should not have direct contact with the contaminated areas, and therefore the risk to the community is significantly lower.

What happens next?
The works to date are designed to contain and stabilise the site to prevent further spread of contamination. The next step will be to develop a longer-term remediation strategy to clean up the affected areas.

I have more questions
Further information regarding cleanup of this area is available during office hours (9.00am to 5.00pm) as follows:

Environmental concerns
Environmental Protection Agency
Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372
www.epa.qld.gov.au

Health concerns
Queensland Health
Central Public Health Unity
Network, Brisbane Northside
on (07) 3624 1111