ATSDR

ATSDR Releases Final Version Of Anniston Army Depot Health Assessment

Calhoun County, Bynum, Alabama

Friday, January 22, 1999

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced today that the final version of its public health assessment for Anniston Army Depot in Bynum, AL, will be available for public review beginning January 25,1999.

Public health assessments report information about hazardous substances in the environment and evaluate whether exposure to those substances in the past, present or future could harm people in the area. They identify health studies or other activities that might be needed and make recommendations to other government agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments, concerning actions to protect public health.

Public health assessments rely on three sources of information: environmental data, health data and reports of community concerns. Environmental data detail the chemicals at a site and indicate their potential pathways to reach humans. Health data include reports of injury, disease or death in the community, as well as information on the known human effects of chemicals at the site. Reports of community concerns document the public's descriptions of how the site affects their health and quality of life.

The health assessment will be made available for public review January 25, 1999, at the following repositories:

Anniston Public Library
108 East 10th Street
P.O. Box 308
Anniston, AL 36202
Contact: Bonnie Seymour
(205) 237-8501

Jacksonville Public Library
200 South Pelham Road
Jacksonville, AL 36265
Contact: Kathryn Childress
(205) 435-6332

Talladega Public Library
202 South Street East
Talladega, AL 35160
Contact: Lucy Quinn
(205) 362-4211

Oxford Public Library
213 Choccolocco Street
Oxford, AL 36203
Contact: Irene Sparks
(205) 831-1750

Anniston Army Depot
Risk Management Office
Building 1
Anniston, AL 36201
Contact: Leslie Ware
(205) 235-7899

Comments received during the public comment period have been logged and are now part of the administrative record for the health assessment. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses have been included in an appendix to the final health assessment.

Community members seeking information on the procedures or content of the health assessment should contact ATSDR Health Assessor Emilio Gonzalez, toll free, at 1-888-42ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to "Anniston Army Depot" when asking to speak with a Health Assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. The ATSDR Regional Representative, Bob Safay, also may be called for information at (404) 562-1782 in Atlanta.

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