ATSDR Releases Draft Findings on Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination

Cabo Rojo County, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Friday, October 21, 2011

Spanish Version

Current exposures to VOCs in municipal water are not expected to harm public health, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in its draft public health assessment for the Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination site in Cabo Rojo, PR. Low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been found in some municipal water supply wells, but none of the VOCs measured have exceeded federal drinking water standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet identified the source or extent of the groundwater contamination. ATSDR needs more information:

• to assess potential risks from exposure near source areas and use of private well water, and
• to determine whether vapors from the groundwater could be building up in homes in the area.

ATSDR recommends:

• that EPA continue its efforts to identify the source and characterize the extent of the contamination, and take actions to address and prevent groundwater contamination, and
• that the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority continue frequent monitoring of the wells’ water quality to ensure that the municipal water supply meets federal standards.

The ATSDR report on the Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination site is available for review at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/HCPHA.asp?State=PR. A copy of the report has also been placed at the Biblioteca Blanca E. Colberg Rodríguez, Calle Ruíz Belvis # 48 in Cabo Rojo.

ATSDR welcomes public comments on the Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Public Health Assessment through January 20, 2012.

Comments received during the public comment period (without the names of who submitted them) and ATSDR's responses to these comments will appear in an appendix to the final public health assessment. Names of those who submit comments, however, will be subject to release in answer to requests made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Send comments to: ATSDRRecordsCenter@cdc.gov, or mail to:

Attention: Rolanda Morrison
RE: Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination
ATSDR Records Center
1600 Clifton Road, NE (MS F-09)
Atlanta, GA 30333

For more information, call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling the NCEH/ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0070.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects due to exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

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Related PHA & HC For this Press Release

Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Site
-Fact Sheet
Document Date: 9/27/2012 - PHA  [PDF - 410 KB]

Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Site
Document Date: 9/27/2012 - PHA  [PDF - 1411 KB]

Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Site
-Hoja Informativa
Document Date: 9/27/2012 - PHA  [PDF - 279 KB]

Cabo Rojo
-Evaluation of Indoor Air Sampling at Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Site in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Document Date: 5/22/2012 - HC  [PDF - 1106 KB]

Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Site
Document Date: 2/24/2012 - HC  [PDF - 208 KB]

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Related News Releases For Cabo Rojo County, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

 

Final Report on Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination
Release Date: Friday, September 28, 2012
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has released its final public health assessment for the Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Ground Water Contamination site. The report finds that current exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in municipal water are not expected to harm public health.

Reporte final sobre la contaminación del agua subterránea de Cabo Rojo
Release Date: Friday, September 28, 2012
La Agencia para Sustancias Tóxicas y el Registro de Enfermedades (ATSDR) ha publicado la versión final de la evaluación de salud pública del sitio de contaminación de agua subterránea de Cabo Rojo. No se espera que los niveles de exposición a los compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COV) en el agua municipal perjudiquen la salud pública.

La ATSDR publica hallazgos provisionales sobre la contaminación del agua subterránea de Cabo Rojo
Release Date: Friday, October 21, 2011
No se prevé que la exposición actual a compuestos orgánicos volátiles en el agua municipal perjudique la salud pública, indica la Agencia para Sustancias Tóxicas y el Registro de Enfermedades (ATSDR) en su Evaluación de Salud Pública provisional del sitio de contaminación de agua subterránea de Cabo Rojo en Puerto Rico. Se encontraron niveles bajos de compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COV) en algunos de los pozos de abastecimiento de agua municipal, pero ninguna cantidad de los COV medidos excedió los estándares federales para el agua potable.

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