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Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Fisher Scientific Company LLC in Middletown, Virginia

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Over the years, ownership and the name of the facility has changed via sale and acquisition. The facility is currently owned by Thermo Fisher Scientific. Some of the past owners and operators of the facility include Technicon Instruments, Revlon Health Care Group, Pantry Pride, Cooper-Technicon, Miles Inc., and BAYER. The initial Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B permit application for the facility was filed when the facility was owned by Technicon Instruments Corporation. Reagent manufacturing operations were similar and have changed little since manufacturing operations began at the facility.

Cleanup Status

A Final RCRA Site Visit Report dated February 28, 2007, and prepared by Tetra Tech EC, Incorporated was submitted to the EPA and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for Fisher Scientific Company, LLC, presently known as Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fisher Scientific) located in Middletown, Virginia. A Statement of Basis (SOB) containing EPA's proposed remedy was noticed on March 9, 2011, in the Northern Virginia Daily newspaper. EPA issued its Final Decision regarding the Facility on May 10, 2011, stating that Corrective Action was Complete without Controls.

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Site Description

Interactive Map of Fisher Scientific Company LLC, Middletown, VA

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The Fisher Scientific facility is 18 acres and is located in a mixed industrial and agricultural area. The facility is an invitro diagnostic manufacturing plant, which is approximately 230,000 square feet and consists of a single building. The plant is comprised of several light manufacturing and production areas, shipping and receiving area, warehouse, and storage areas. Associated areas around the building included asphalt parking lots, roadways, and landscaped areas. The majority of the manufacturing plant was constructed in 1978, with several additions and renovations performed over the years. The largest expansion of the facility occurred in 1987.

The facility formulates aqueous reagents and human and bovine-based calibration products used for clinical diagnostic systems. The products are used by clinical laboratories and hospitals to conduct various biochemical and hematological assays on human blood and urine samples. The products are considered FDA Class 1, 2 and 3 medical devices and are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturing at the facility began in 1978. Manufacturing activities include mixing of reagents and calibration products, packaging of liquids into smaller aliquots, and lyophilization (freeze drying) of liquids to produce powdered reagents. Various hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals, including petroleum products have historically been used and are currently used during the manufacturing process. The raw chemicals and petroleum products are stored in tanks, 55-gallon drums, and various capacity containers. The facility is listed as a Large Quantity Generator of hazardous waste.

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    Contaminants at this Facility

    From 1998 to 2003, three small releases occurred and have been documented. The releases included a fuel oil spill of less than 25 gallons at a 4,000 gallon AST, an estimated 385 gallon release of formaldehyde within the facility building that was captured by secondary containment, and a release of approximately one liter of diesel fuel in the facility’s parking lot near the shipping dock. These releases were contained and cleaned up appropriately. No adverse impact to human health or the environment was observed.

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    Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

     No institutional controls were required.

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    Land Reuse Information at this Facility

    The facility is under continued use.

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    Site Responsibility at this Facility

    RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3 with assistance from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

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