OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

[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.]

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/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.

***Proposed Site*** March 2011 

RED PANTHER CHEMICAL COMPANY Clarksdale, Mississippi 

Coahoma County 

à Site Location:

The Red Panther Chemical Company site is approximately 6.5 acres located at 1201 Normandy Avenue in Clarksdale, 

Mississippi. The property is in a mixed commercial-residential area. The 18th Street Neighborhood is located to the west 

of the site. 

 ́ Site History:

Red Panther operated as a pesticides formulation plant between 1949 and 1996, producing liquid and dry herbicides, 

insecticides, and fungicides. 

r Site Contamination/Contaminants:

Chemicals contained in formulated pesticide products produced at the facility included toxaphene, aldrin, arsenic, and 

DDT. Investigations found widespread and significant on-site soil contamination with arsenic and chlorinated pesticides. 

Additionally, sample results indicated contaminants had migrated off site via drainage ditches. In November 1985, a fire 

burned down one warehouse on site. Contaminated runoff from the firefighting effort caused a fish kill in the nearby 

Sunflower River. During the investigation and cleanup after the fire, 382 old fiber drums were discovered in the 

crawlspace below the burned warehouse. Ninety-five of the drums contained trace residues of technical grade dieldrin, 

requiring disposal at a commercial hazardous waste facility. 

v Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Sampling activities have documented surface soil contamination with pesticides at 26 residences in the 18th Street 

neighborhood at levels above long-term health-risk benchmarks. In addition, there is significant potential for ground water 

contaminant migration to the underlying Sparta and Wilcox aquifers, which is the drinking water supply source for private 

wells in the vicinity and for the City of Clarksdale. Possible impacts to the Sunflower River via site drainage ditches have 

never been fully evaluated. 

3 Response Activities (to date):

EPA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with the Responsible Parties at the site to conduct a removal action. 

The hazardous substances in surface soil included arsenic and 13 chlorinated pesticides; and in subsurface soil arsenic, 

toxaphene, and dieldrin. More than 7,400 tons of contaminated soils were taken off site to commercial hazardous waste 

treatment and/or disposal facilities as part of the Removal Action. Tank sludges from eight above-ground storage tanks 

were also removed. They totaled 233,000 pounds. 

} Need for NPL Listing: 

The State of Mississippi referred the site to EPA because of the soil contamination in the residential neighborhood and the 

potential for migration of ground water contamination. In addition, a full investigation of possible contamination in 

Sunflower Creek needs to be conducted. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at 

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