ATSDR Conducting Door To Door Visits In Lafayette

Lafayette County, Lafayette, Louisiana

Wednesday, February 13, 2002

What: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, is currently in Lafayette Parish conducting door-to-door visits to homes in selected areas as part of the agency's 2002 Louisiana Dioxin Study.

ATSDR is studying Calcasieu and Lafayette parishes to see if residents have been exposed to unusual levels of dioxin and/or volatile organic compounds. The study, which began in January 2002, will be conducted in two phases.

Under phase one of the study, representatives of ATSDR are going door-to-door to conduct what is called a "Household Listing." This process seeks to build a list of everyone living in selected areas of the parish. The list will be used to develop a scientifically selected sample of eligible people from within the parish who will be contacted and asked to participate in the second step of the dioxin study.

The door-to-door listing is being done for ATSDR by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a non-profit company affiliated with the University of Chicago. Representatives from NORC will visit each home in a selected area to ask for the name, age, and sex of all who live in the household, as well as how long they have lived in the parish. The surveys take about 10 minutes.

The second phase, which is scheduled to take place in April and May, will test selected individuals to check for dioxin and volatile organic compounds-also known as VOCs- exposure. Participants will be asked for a blood and urine sample and given an interview about where they have lived, their occupation, and what they eat.

When & Where: The household listing is being done in selected areas of Lafayette parish until February 22, 2002.

Why: The listing is being done to build a list of everyone living in selected areas of the parish. The list will be used to select a scientifically selected sample of eligible people from within the parish who will be contacted and asked to participate in the second step of the dioxin study. While participation is voluntary, it is important for those who are contacted to participate to help ATSDR answer vital public health questions about exposures in the Lafayette and Calcasieu communities.

Contact: Community members seeking information on the procedures of this exposureinvestigation should contact ATSDR Epidemiologist Deborah Millette, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to the "2002 Louisiana Dioxin Study site." ATSDR Senior Regional Representative George Pettigrew in Dallas also may be called for information at (214) 665-8361.

 

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Related News Releases For Lafayette County, Lafayette, Louisiana

 

ATSDR Study Finds Dioxin Levels Among Lafayette Parish Residents Similar to National Levels
Release Date: Thursday, March 16, 2006
Lafayette Parish residents have levels of dioxin in their blood similar to those found in people nationally, says a study just released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Preliminary study and investigation results released in Calcasieu and Lafayette, La., Parishes
Release Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2003
At public meetings in Westlake and Lafayette, La., ATSDR is releasing preliminary results of the agency's 2002 Louisiana Dioxin Study of Calcasieu and Lafayette Parishes and its 2001 Follow-Up Investigation. Final results and additional analysis will be presented at public meetings held in the community in summer 2003.

ATSDR Sponsors Dioxin Study in Calcasieu and Lafayette Parishes of Louisiana
Release Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2002
ATSDR is sponsoring a follow-up exposure investigation in the Calcasieu and Lafayette parishes of Louisiana. An earlier investigation found some area residents had higher-than-expected levels of chemicals called dioxins in their blood. The current investigation will determine the amount of dioxins and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in residents of the parishes.

ATSDR Hosts Community Meetings About Its 2002 Dioxin Study For The Exposure Investigation In Calcasieu and Lafayette Parishes in Louisiana
Release Date: Friday, January 11, 2002
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, will conduct two community meetings in Calcasieu and Lafayette Parishes in Louisiana.

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