CHEMICALS & PHARMACEUTICALS Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments Pharmaceutical Research and Development Facility, France
Project Summary
Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments Pharmaceutical Research and Development Facility in France
Key Project Elements • Historical Review • Review of Current Site Data • Review of Geological, Hydrogeological and Groundwater Vulnerability Data • Site Inspection • Environmental Compliance Audit • Conduct Interviews • Drilling Boreholes • Soil Logging And Sampling • Groundwater Monitoring And Sampling • Surveying • Reporting
CRA was commissioned to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of a pharmaceutical research and development facility to identify Recognised Environmental Conditions (REC’s) as defined in ASTM Standard E1527-05 (the Standard). The assessment was undertaken to identify potential environmental conditions and liabilities associated with historic and current activities undertaken at the Site or neighbouring properties, prior to the prospective acquisition of the Site. The Phase I ESA included a review of geological, hydrogeological and groundwater vulnerability data, historical and current land uses, previous investigation data and a search of environmental databases. The Site inspection comprised the review of former and current operations, waste and raw material handling, storage and disposal practices associated with the facility and visual inspections of the Site and surrounding areas. The Site was visually inspected for evidence of surface staining or spills, presence of asbestos, ionising radiation sources, PCBs, hazardous wastes, storage practices, condition of storage containers and protective infrastructure, and unusual colour or odour of air and water emissions. CRA also reviewed available on-site records, permits and licenses, interviewed knowledgeable Site personnel, and contacted local regulatory agencies to evaluate the Site’s compliance against local environmental regulations. The Phase I ESA identified several REC’s, business environmental risks, and environmental compliance and good management practice issues. In particular, the ESA identified an incident where a mixture of chemicals was released to ground from underground process drains and the documented presence of metals and organic compounds in soils and groundwater in other areas of the Site. Based on these findings, CRA was commissioned to undertake a Phase II ESA to further identify and characterise the potential contamination that had resulted from activities on the Site and from neighbouring properties. Existing investigation data was used to target areas of potential contamination and identify data gaps. The intrusive investigation included the advancement of 11 boreholes (up to 6m deep using rotary-sonic method) and the installation of a deep groundwater monitoring well (36m deep), sampling of existing monitoring wells, logging of soils, the collection of subsurface soil samples, an elevation survey of groundwater monitoring wells, the measurement of static water levels, and monitoring and sampling of groundwater. The resulting soil and groundwater analytical results were then assessed against appropriate French screening criteria to determine risk. A report was produced interpreting the data collected from the intrusive works to advise the Client on the Site’s environmental conditions and liabilities. CRA also provided the client with estimated costs for remediation of the soil and groundwater, in addition to a preliminary decommissioning assessment and estimated costs for decontamination of surface infrastructure.
Ref: PS0037b