From: | Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org> |
Date: | Mon, 03 Jun 1996 13:07:51 -0700 (PDT) |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | DON'T PETITION ATSDR! |
From: Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org> A response I received after posting information about petioning ATSDR to do a study at Tooele. An excellent example of relevent information exchange. Aimee Houghton **************************** Date: Sun, 02 Jun 1996 19:28:47 -0700 From: Laura Olah <olah@speagle.com> DON'T PETITION ATSDR! Communities and individuals should seriously consider the potential consequences of inviting a health assessment or health study by ATSDR, before taking this precarious step. Based on my professional experience and discussions with dozens of other communities that have been there, an ATSDR study has the potential to actually increase risk to human health by instilling a false sense of security and complacency in response to real and potential environmental health threats. In 1995, The Wisconsin Division of Health (WDOH), acting as an agent for ATSDR, conducted and published a health assessment of residents near the Sauk County Superfund Landfill. The WDOH study, approved by ATSDR, was based EXCLUSIVELY on documentation and data presented by the County (the owner/operator of the landfill and the responsible party) and contractors hired by the County -- absolutely none of the data or concerns presented by community members were included in the report and predictably the conclusions of the report echoed, almost verbatim, the claims of the polluter that no health problems or risks were associated with their site. Since the release of the report, concerned homeowners have discontinued actively monitoring the site as well as associated air and groundwater contamination, and have resumed the daily activities and patterns that may be placing them and their children at increased risk for cancer and other deadly diseases. We have spent over a year appealing the conclusions and content of the report but to no avail. Moreover, folks need to know the Health Assessment for the Sauk County Landfill is just one hundreds of similar inferior reports. We also believe that any health assessment should be controlled, or at least directed, by the stakeholders -- the families and workers at risk; a study conducted by ATSDR (or an agent acting for the Agency) will completely disempower stakeholders in this regard. ATSDR has publicly acknowledged the quality of their assessments is lacking but claims lack of funds and personnel has restricted them accordingly; we, and hundreds of other community groups and individuals across the country, have confronted ATSDR saying an inferior assessment places the community at much more risk than none at all!! I can tell you right now the proposed ATSDR health assessment for Tooele will say the Agency was "unable to document a direct correlation between the facility (source) and elevated cancer rates in the community". Consider the history of this Agency which found no correlation between the toxics and high cancer rates at LOVE CANAL! L. Olah, Executive Director, Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger |
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