ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Issues Final Report on Oak Ridge High School Asbestos Exposures

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2006

ATLANTA - A final report released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) concludes that current exposures to naturally occurring amphibole asbestos from campus soil at Oak Ridge High School have been minimized by the mitigations conducted by the El Dorado Union High School District (EDUHSD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, the potential exists for current or future exposures from unmitigated areas on campus or from other off-campus sources.

In the final report, called a public health consultation (PHC), ATSDR recommends that EDUHSD’s operations and maintenance plan be implemented to protect the mitigations. ATSDR also recommends that EDUHSD perform confirmatory classroom sampling to ensure that classrooms remain free of asbestos fibers. If sampling shows unhealthful asbestos concentrations, ATSDR recommends appropriate cleaning methods to reduce concentrations. ATSDR is working with Cal-EPA’s Department of Toxic Substances Control to develop procedures for appropriate cleaning methods.

Like the draft of the PHC, released for public comment in May 2005, the final PHC concludes that the greatest exposures likely were experienced by coaches who spent considerable time on athletic fields and tracks, outdoor maintenance staff and student athletes.

ATSDR recommends that because some increased risk of developing asbestos-related disease is possible, people in those most highly exposed groups should inform their physicians about their potential asbestos exposure so that their physicians can offer appropriate preventive care and watch for early signs of disease.

Other ATSDR recommendations include continued state monitoring of health outcome data for asbestos-related disease and full enforcement of state and county air toxics regulations. Homeowners are encouraged to follow local and state recommendations for minimizing asbestos exposure around the home.

ATSDR is preparing another PHC that evaluates the potential for amphibole asbestos exposure in the community outside of the high school. A release date for this PHC has not been set.

The final Oak Ridge High School PHC can be viewed at


Oak Ridge High School Library
1120 Harvard Way
El Dorado Hills, Calif.

El Dorado County Main Library
345 Fair Lane
Placerville, Calif.

El Dorado County Public Health Department
931 Spring Street
Placerville, Calif.

El Dorado Hills Community Services District
1021 Harvard Way
El Dorado Hills, Calif.

The PHC may be viewed on the Web at
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/pha/OakRidgeHS-013106/OakRidgeHighSchoolHC013106.pdf

For more information, community members can contact Community Involvement Specialist Youlanda Outin toll-free at
1-888-422-8737 or Senior Regional Representative Susan Muza in San Francisco at (415) 947-4316.

Established by Congress in 1980 under the Superfund law, ATSDR conducts public health assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned.

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Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling the ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700.