ATSDR Invites Public Comment on Corozal Well Site Report

Puerto Rico

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

View page in Spanish (Español)

ATLANTA – The health of people who use well water is not at risk, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in its public health assessment (PHA) released today. The public is invited to read and comment on the Corozal well report.

ATSDR prepared the PHA to look at whether exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in the well could cause harm to the community.

The well provides drinking water to about 240 people in and around Corozal and Naranjito, Puerto Rico.

The PHA found:

• Past exposures to VOCs from drinking or using water from the Corozal well were below levels likely to cause harm. Because no sampling data are available before 2010, ATSDR estimated past exposure doses for PCE in Corozal water using the actual contaminant levels recorded since 2010. Contaminant concentrations can change over time, so the levels since 2010 may not be representative of the time period of interest and therefore may underestimate or overestimate exposures.
• It is unlikely that any occasional contact with surface water would pose a hazard to people who were exposed.
• Currently, no exposures to VOCs in drinking water from the Corozal well are occurring due to water filtration.

The report is available for review at: Corozol Well Site PHA. A copy of the document released today can also be reviewed during regular hours at:

Escuela Felipa Sánchez Cruzado
Carr 811 Km 5 Hm 9
BO. Cedro Abajo
Naranjito, PR 00719
Tel. 787- 869-4231

ATSDR will accept public comments on the PHA until June 16, 2014.

Comments on the PHA and conclusions must be made in writing. Comments received during the public comment period, as well as ATSDR’s response to those comments, will be included in an appendix in the final PHA report. Names of those who submit comments 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:

ATSDR Records Center
Attn: Rolanda Morrison
Re: Corozal Well Site
4770 Buford Highway, NE (MS F-09)
Atlanta, Georgia 30341

For more information about the PHA, community members can call 1-800-CDC- INFO (1-800-232-4636). The caller should state they are requesting information about the Corozal Well 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 of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

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Related PHA & HC For this Press Release

Corozal Well Site
-Groundwater, Surface Water, Soil and Sediment Data Evaluation
Document Date: 7/29/2015 - PHA  [PDF - 2933 KB]

Corozal Well Site
-Groundwater, Surface Water, Soil and Sediment Data Evaluation
Document Date: 5/7/2015 - PHA  [PDF - 1215 KB]

Corozol Well Site
-Groundwater, Surface Water, Soil and Sediment Data Evaluation
Document Date: 5/14/2014 - PHA  [PDF - 2015 KB]

Corozol Well Site
-Fact Sheet Spanish
Document Date: 5/14/2014 - PHA  [PDF - 1622 KB]

Corozol Well Site
-Fact Sheet English
Document Date: 5/14/2014 - PHA  [PDF - 1330 KB]

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