Search  |  Index  |  Home  |  Glossary  |  Contact Us

ATSDR Web News
ATSDR Releases Newtown Community Health Assessment
For Public Review and Community
Gainesville, Georgia
February 28, 2002

What: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, today announced the availability of the public comment version of its health assessment for the Newtown Community in Gainesville, Georgia.

ATSDR prepared this public health assessment to evaluate data collected in response to ATSDR recommendations which were published in a previous public health assessment for the site.

ATSDR released the previous assessment in March 2001 in response to a request from area residents. Residents expressed concerns that high rates of cancer, lupus, and respiratory diseases in the community may be caused by emissions from nearby industrial facilities and by the location of the community on land which was once used as a landfill. In the earlier public health assessment, ATSDR made several recommendations, including: to conduct further evaluation of particulate concentrations in ambient air in the community; to take a closer look at possible past exposures to industrial emissions; and to determine whether the existing air monitor is located in the best location to measure air pollutants in the community.

When/Where: The draft health assessment is available for public review and comment at the following repository:

The public comment period for the health assessment ends April 11, 2002.

How: This public health assessment is being published as a draft for public comment. The public comment period is intended to give members of the community an opportunity to review ATSDR's findings, ask questions, provide comments, or discuss additional information which may be pertinent to the health assessment. Following the public comment period, all comments which have been received will be reviewed and will be addressed in a final version of the public health assessment. Please send written comments to:

Background: Public health assessments report information about hazardous substances in the environment and evaluate whether exposure to those substances in the past, present or future could harm people in the area. They identify health studies or other activities that might be needed and make recommendations to other government agencies, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments, concerning actions to protect public health.

Comments received during the public comment period will be logged and become part of the administrative record for the health assessment. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses will be included in an appendix to the final health assessment. Although names of those who have submitted comments will not be included in the final health assessment, they are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.

For More Information: Community members seeking information on the procedures or content of the health assessment should contact Michelle Colledge, at (312) 886-0840 in Chicago, or Brian Kaplan, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Callers should refer to the "Newtown Community site" when calling the toll free number. ATSDR Regional Representative Bob Safay also may be called for information at (404) 562-1782 in Atlanta.

See the ATSDR News Archive for previous news items.

Back to ATSDR Home page

This page last updated on April 1, 2002

Contact Name: Joanne D. Cox/ JDCox@cdc.gov

ATSDR Home  |  Search  |  Index  |  Glossary  |  Contact Us
About ATSDR  |  News Archive  |  ToxFAQs  |  Public Health Assessments
Privacy Policy  |  External Links Disclaimer  |  Accessibility
US Department of Health and Human Services