ATSDR - North Railroad Avenue Plume Site in Española, N.M.

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR ssues Final Version of the Public Health Assessment for the North Railroad Avenue Plume Site in Española, N.M.

Findings Are No Apparent Public Health Hazard for Current Exposures and Public Health Hazard for Past Exposures

For Immediate Release: Sept. 23, 2003

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today announces the findings of its final public health assessment for the North Railroad Avenue Plume site in Española, Rio Arriba County, N.M. The site poses no apparent public health hazard for current exposures. However, the site did present a past public health hazard.

After evaluating the available data, ATSDR concludes the following:

A public health hazard is not posed by exposure to drinking water in the Española public water supply, groundwater from privately owned wells, soil at the Norge Town facility, or sediments and surface water from the Rio Grande and associated ditches.
Past exposures to drinking water from two city-owned wells (Bond and Jemez), from 1970 to 1990, did pose a public health hazard. Exceptions to this past exposure are for residents of the Santa Clara Pueblo, who receive their water from private and noncontaminated community supply wells.
Clean-up efforts for the site conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department are protective of public health.

In the public health assessment, ATSDR recommends the following actions:

No new private wells should be installed in the vicinity of the site.
Twelve drinking water wells located directly adjacent to Santa Clara Pueblo Trust Land should be periodically monitored until clean-up measures are completed.
Active private wells within the city of Española that are used for nondrinking water purposes should be monitored periodically until clean-up measures are completed.
Limited surface water and sediment sampling should be conducted periodically until clean-up measures are completed.

The public health assessment is available for public review at the following two repositories:

Española Public Library
314-A Oñate Street, N.W.
Española, NM 87532

Santa Clara Pueblo Library
Española, NM 87532

For more information, community members may contact environmental health scientists Robert Knowles or Annmarie DePasquale toll free at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Patrick Young also may be contacted at 214-665-8562. Callers should refer to the North Railroad Avenue Plume site in Española, N.M.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 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. 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. Headquartered in Atlanta, ATSDR is staffed by more than 400 health professionals including epidemiologists, physicians, toxicologists, engineers and public health educators.

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Members of the news media may request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling Elaine McEachern or Jennifer Sarginson in the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs at 770-488-0700.

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Updated by R. Searfoss September 23, 2003
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
770-488-0700 or e-mail (news media)