Petitioned Public Health Assessments

What is ATSDR?

ATSDR is the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal public health agency. ATSDR is not a regulatory agency like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Created by Superfund legislation in 1980, ATSDR's mission is to prevent exposure and adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life associated with exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites, unplanned releases, and other sources of pollution present in the environment. Through its programs - including surveillance, registries, health studies, environmental health education, and applied substance-specific research - and by working with other federal, state, and local government agencies, ATSDR acts to protect public health.

What is a Public Health Assessment?

A Public Health Assessment reviews available information about hazardous substances at a site and evaluates whether exposure to those substances might cause any harm to people.

Public Health Assessments consider :

• what levels (or "concentrations") of hazardous substances are present;
• whether people might be exposed to contamination and how (through "exposure pathways" such as breathing air, drinking or contacting water, contacting or eating soil, or eating food);
• what harm the substances might cause to people (the contaminants' "toxicity");
• whether working or living nearby might affect people's health; and
• other dangers, such as unsafe buildings, abandoned mine shafts, or other physical hazards.

ATSDR looks at three primary sources of information to make these determinations :

• environmental data, such as information about the contaminants and how people could come in contact with them;
• health data, including available information on communitywide rates of illness, disease, and death compared with national and state rates;
• community concerns, such as reports from the public about how the site affects their health or quality of life.

How can I petition for a Public Health Assessment?

The petition process is very simple. All you have to do is write to :

In the letter, you must include :

• your name, address, and phone number;
• the name of the group you represent, if any;
• the name, location, and description of the facility or release;
• any information you may have about people being exposed to toxic substances;
• a request for ATSDR to perform a Public Health Assessment.

Information that is not required, but may be helpful:

• Information about the facility or release - such as the chemical you are concerned about, the amount in the environment now or in the past, or the parties you believe may be responsible;
• Exposure pathways;
• How many people might be exposed - particularly how many older persons and children;
• Other government agencies you have contacted or which have investigated already.

What happens after ATSDR gets my petition?

When ATSDR recieves a petition, a team of environmental scientists, physicians, toxicologists, and other staff members are assigned to work on it. This team begins to gather information about the site. Team members visit the site to see it firsthand and to talk with the community. After that, the team evaluates all site information and presents it to the petition committee. That committee decides whether ATSDR will perform a Public Health Assessment or if some other action - such as a Public Health Advisory or Health Consultation or Community environmental health education - would better meet the community's needs, or if no action is needed.

Petitioners are informed in writing of ATSDR's decision and the reasons for it.