Spring Valley, Washington, D.C. Community Newsletter - October 2003

Newsletter No. 4

Dear Residents,

During the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) involvement with the Spring Valley site, many of you met and spoke with Rear Admiral (RADM) Bob Williams. Since our last newsletter, RADM Williams was selected by U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona to be the chief of staff, Office of the Surgeon General. RADM Williams assumed his new responsibilities on September 1.

RADM Williams was assigned to ATSDR since 1985, serving first as an environmental engineer consultant and later as chief, Health Sciences Branch. In 1980, he was selected to be the director, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation (DHAC), a position he has held to the present.

For the past four years, RADM Williams also served as the chief engineer of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), providing advice and consultation on public health engineering matters to the surgeon general and to more than 1,200 engineers in the USPHS. A registered professional engineer and a diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, he served on numerous national professional committees and several boards of directors, including service as director of Personnel Management, USPHS—Commissioned Corps, Washington, D.C.

During RADM Williams' time at ATSDR, he oversaw numerous activities relating to the Spring Valley site (see a list of activities on reverse side) in his capacity as assistant surgeon general and director of DHAC. While we will all miss RADM Williams, his departure will not affect the quality of our work or our dedication to protecting the health of Spring Valley community members. The ATSDR staff remains committed to doing all we can to provide you with a scientifically sound health evaluation and with other actions that address your health concerns.

Please continue to visit ATSDR's Spring Valley Web site at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/springvalley. As always, ATSDR values and welcomes your opinions and comments regarding the contents of future newsletters. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Sharon Williams-Fleetwood, PhD
Acting Director, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

What activities regarding the Spring Valley site has ATSDR conducted?

• ATSDR has conducted the following activities: Congressional testimony provided (July 2001)
• Exposure investigation (EI) protocol presented to Mayor's Scientific Advisory Panel (December 2001)
• Public meeting to discuss EI protocol (January 2002)>
• First community newsletter released (February 2002)
• Spring Valley repository for ATSDR documents established (February 2002)
• Samples (urine, hair, indoor dust) collected for arsenic analyses, EI (March 2002)
• Needs assessment completed (March 2002)
• Congressional testimony provided (June 2002)
• Phase I EI report available (June 2002)
• Urine samples collected for arsenic analysis, phase II of the EI (July”November 2002)
• Second community newsletter released (August 2002)
• Phase II EI results presented to the Spring Valley Restoration Advisory Board (December 2002)
• Phase II EI data presented to Mayor's Scientific Advisory Panel (February 2003)
• Third community newsletter released (February 2003)
• Phase II EI report available (April/May 2003)
• Brochure: Safe Gardening, Safe Play, and a Safe Home released community-wide (July 2003)

Information about all these activities is available on the ATSDR Spring Valley Web site at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/springvalley.

What's next?

A draft of the public health evaluation for the Spring Valley community will be sent to members of the community, the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the District of Columbia Department of Health, the Restoration Advisory Board, and the Mayor's Scientific Advisory Panel for review.

For additional information, please contact any of the following ATSDR staff:

• Laura Frazier, environmental health scientist and lead health assessor for Spring Valley, Federal Facilities Assessment Branch, DHAC, 1-888-422-8737, e-mail: lhfrazier@cdc.gov Loretta Bush, health communications specialist, Community Involvement Branch, DHAC, 1-888-422-8737, e-mail: lsbush@cdc.gov
  
  
• Steve Dearwent, epidemiologist, Exposure Investigation and Consultation Branch, DHAC, 1-888-422-8737, e-mail: sed7@cdc.gov
  
  
• Richard Sullivan, health education specialist, Site Activities Branch, Division of Health Education and Promotion (DHEP), 1-888-422-8737, e-mail: rsullivan@cdc.gov
  
  
• John Holland, health education specialist, Site Activities Branch, DHEP, 1-888-422-8737, e-mail: jholland@cdc.gov
  
  
• Tom Stukas, regional representative, ATSDR Region 3, Philadelphia Office, 215-814-3142, e-mail: stukas.tom@epamail.epa.gov