Presentations of Study Results

The results of the PCB studies were first presented to Anniston residents at the Anniston Community Meeting in April 2008. Over 3,000 leaflets with study results and consortium recommendations to reduce or prevent further exposure to PCBs were printed and distributed in the community. Consortium scientists and community representatives also presented the studies’ results at a special session held at the 5th PCB Workshop at the University of Iowa and at the DIOXIN 2009 Symposium. Study results were also presented at the DIOXIN 2010 (special session), 2011, 2012, and 2013 symposia. ATSDR scientists also participated in a public radio broadcast and question and answer session about the consortium studies on PCB health effects in Anniston in March 2011. In April 2011, at a joint public meeting in Anniston organized in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we presented updates of study results on hypertension, blood pressure and diabetes and answered questions from the public on a variety of health issues related to exposure to PCBs and ways to prevent ongoing exposure.

Future visits to Anniston and attendance at formal and informal meetings are planned. At these meetings, our major messages will include updates on progress with understanding of the pathways of exposure in Anniston and how exposure could be avoided. Meetings will also emphasize awareness of long-standing fish advisories. Because of the focus in past meetings on how PCB exposure may be involved in the development of hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes, we would continue to remind community members that regular check-ups with their primary care physicians and proper management of disease can help with early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

Content from Public Meetings in Anniston

• Public meeting hand out; preliminary results April 2008 [PDF - 302 KB]
• Public meeting 2011; presentation [PPT - 1.76 MB]