OSWER/OSRTI

Washington, DC 20460

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Proposed Site*** May 2013 

CRISTEX DRUM Oxford, North Carolina 

Granville County 

 Site Location:

The Cristex Drum site is a 22-acre property with a 150,000 square-foot former manufacturing building, located in an 

industrial area on Industry Drive in Oxford, North Carolina. 

 Site History:

The business was operated as a warp knit fabric mill from 1965 to 1986. The mill changed names over the years from 

Steinfeld Mills to IMI Knits and then finally to Cristex, Inc., in 1981. The mill engaged in knitting, dyeing and 

finishing of nylon acetate Tricot, and dry cleaning of the manufactured fabrics. Since 1986 the building has been used 

primarily as warehouse space.

 Site Contamination/Contaminants:

There are observed releases of tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride, 

benzene, chlorobenzene and heavy metals to soils and ground water from the former textile operations. The majority 

of the soil contamination is located underneath the building. A wastewater lagoon which received several spills from 

the facility is located on the property. In 1998, the lagoon dam was breached, releasing approximately 400,000 gallons 

of contaminated lagoon contents to surface water. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

PCE concentrations are increasing in deep monitoring wells and may pose a risk to private and/or commercial drinking 

water wells to the south and east. The southeastern edge of the ground water plume is uncharacterized and may present 

increased vapor intrusion risk for the nearby Oak Ridge apartments. Observed releases of lead, chromium, manganese, 

vanadium and nickel have been documented in the adjacent wetlands, and the breached lagoon continues to discharge 

to surface water. 

 Response Activities (to date):

The EPA conducted an emergency removal of 26 buried drums and 137 drum carcasses discovered at the rear of the 

property in 1997. The former building owners had attempted site characterization and removal of two above-ground 

storage tanks and an oil water separator beneath the building under the State Inactive Hazardous Sites program. These 

former owners withdrew from the program in 2004 because of lack of funding. 

 Need for NPL Listing:

The state of North Carolina referred the site to the EPA to allow for a comprehensive cleanup to address all the human 

health and environmental risks posed by the site. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not 

viable at this time. The EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may 

change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent 

FR notices.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to 

these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on 

the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.