Re: [CPEO-MEF] Health Assessments

[JEMPRESS3@HOTMAIL.COM]

Pauline:
As a new subscriber, I felt it would be easier to direct this to you and
from there you could send it down the appropriate avenue.

Life with ATSDR.
Have had direct hands-on experience from my community corner.
First, and  all local organizations should formally petition for a Health
Consultation from ATSDR. Have as many organizations and affected individuals
sign the petition, or at least reference them.  From a Health Consultation a
Health Assessment can be commenced.  If the site is not NPL ranked, you will
have a tougher nut to crack, but it can be done.  Your group needs to find
the "glitch" in the regulations currently being used as the lead for the
site, particularly under RCRA.
Once ATSDR has been contacted and a connection is made, dog whoever is the
lead sent by the agency.  Stay in continual contact, feed continual
information, constantly ask for information, timetables and workplans, do
not allow them any unmotivated time.  Keep communications lines direct, open
and as business oriented as possible.  You ARE conducting the business of
community right to know, you should be totally professional and expect no
less back.  And never allow yourself to believe ATSDR has the final answers.
They are only a resource for your community to access information, gather
knowledge and assess where your next priority may be.

Hope this is helpful.  Andy Dudley was our contact at ATSDR and turned out
to be a real regular guy, who still is a valuable resource for me.

jean
DOE-CAC Member, Brookhaven National Laboratory
DOD-RAB Member, Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant-Calverton, NY


You can find archived listserve messages on the CPEO website at http://www.cpeo.org/lists/index.html.

_____________________________________________________________
Got a Favorite Topic to Discuss?  Start a List at Topica.
http://www.topica.com/t/4