ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Hosting Public Availability Session for Yerington Anaconda Mine Site

For Immediate Release: February 17, 2006

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will host a public availability session Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Yerington, Nev., to discuss with community members the findings and recommendations of the agency’s recently released public health consultation on the Yerington Anaconda Mine site.

The meeting is from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Yerington Paiute Tribal Office Gymnasium, 171 Campbell Lane, Yerington.

The ATSDR report was released for public comment two weeks ago. The public comment period ends March 10.

There will be no formal presentation at the meeting. Community members are invited to stop by any time during the session to talk with ATSDR staff one-on-one about the health consultation.

Because current barriers are not adequate to restrict unauthorized persons from the site’s dangerous areas, ATSDR says the mine site is a public health hazard. Other conclusions in the report include:

• Off-site, short-term exposure to airborne contaminants downwind of the site is an indeterminate public health hazard, meaning critical air monitoring information is currently not available.
• Mine operations have contaminated groundwater, which has migrated off-site. Down-gradient drinking water wells are contaminated with uranium and arsenic, however, available groundwater monitoring data are not adequate to determine whether these contaminants are site-related.
• Tailings piles and evaporation ponds are potential sources of airborne particulates. These particles are only likely to become airborne during peak wind events. Current air monitoring programs designed to assess long-term average conditions are not adequate to evaluate peak events.
• Ongoing air and groundwater monitoring programs have significant limitations for assessing potential past and future exposures to the off-site community.
• Contaminants present include airborne respiratory irritants such as sulfates and sulfides and arsenic and uranium in ground water.

ATSDR’s recommendations in the health consultation include the following:

• Improve site fencing and hazard signage to better restrict public access. Emphasize limiting access to the high-hazard former processing areas.
• People currently receiving bottled water should continue receiving and using this water for drinking and cooking. Based on measured contaminant concentrations, non-potable uses of well water for bathing, cleaning and irrigation are not a health hazard and may be continued.

The health consultation is available for public review and comment through March 10. The comment period is an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the findings or proposed activities noted in the consultation.

Comments must be made to ATSDR in writing. The health consultation may be reviewed at:

South Lion County Library
20 Nevin Way
Yerington, Nev.

or

Yerington Piaute Tribal Office
171 Campbell Lane
Yerington, Nev.

Comments should be mailed to:

ATSDR Records Center
1600 Clifton Road, N.E. (MS E-60)
Atlanta, GA 30333

Comments also may be provided via e-mail to: ATSDRRecordsCenter@cdc.gov Subject: YAM Site HC

Community members who have questions about the upcoming meeting may contact Health Communication Specialist Youlanda Outin or Geologist Mark Evans at 1-888-422-8737. Callers should say they are calling about the Yerington Anaconda Mine site.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.

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