ATSDR Releases Final Health Report for the Hormigas Sector, Caguas, Puerto Rico

Caguas County, Puerto Rico

Thursday, October 31, 2013

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ATLANTA- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released its final Public Health Assessment (PHA) for the Ground Water Plume site of the Hormigas Sector in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

The assessment found that people who used the Hormigas public water system before it closed in 2009 are not expected to experience harmful effects from chemical exposures because the contaminants were below levels of health concern. The community now obtains water from the Cidra filtration plant, which is continually monitored by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority to make sure it meets federal drinking water standards and is safe.

The Hormigas public water system was closed in 2009 because chemicals were found in one of the two wells. The chemicals found in the well were perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE). The source of the chemicals in the water is not known. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working to identify the source during their remedial investigation. The results will be available to the public when it is completed.

In March 2013, ATSDR requested public comments on the Public Health Assessment for the Ground Water Plume site of the Hormigas Sector. Comments were received and addressed, and the responses are included in Appendix D of the final PHA document.

The Public Health Assessment is available at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/HCPHA.asp?State=PR.

A copy of the report also is available at the Office of Environmental Affairs in Caguas:

Centro de Gobierno Municipal Ángel Rivera Rodríguez,
Calle Padial final, esquina Ave. José Mercado
Oficina de Asuntos Ambientales- Piso 1,
Caguas, Puerto Rico 00726

For more information about the Public Health Assessment, community members can call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). Callers should state that they are requesting information about the Hormigas Sector site in Puerto Rico.

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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

Hormigas Ground Water Plume Site
Document Date: 10/31/2013 - PHA  [PDF - 2853 KB]

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