FMC-Fresno Plant Public Health Assessment

Timeframe: 1992 to 1993

Operations at the FMC-Fresno site began in 1931 when Sunland Sulfur Company began processing sulfur for agricultural uses. In 1946, Sunland expanded their operations to include fertilizers and dry pesticides from ingredients manufactured at separate facilities. FMC bought the facility in 1959 and added liquid pesticides to the facility’s manufacturing activities. During the 1960s and 1970s, FMC discharged wastewater into an onsite unlined trench, resulting in groundwater as well as surface and subsurface soil contamination.

At the request of the US EPA, IAI conducted a public health assessment for the site. IAI met with community leaders, residents, inspected the site, and reviewed existing reports. IAI concluded that while the site posed a health risk for neighboring residents in the past, it did not appear to pose current public health concerns nor is it likely to pose future ones. We recommended that the work plan for soil remediation be reviewed and a consultation be prepared to determine whether proposed emissions control mechanisms were sufficiently protective of public health.