ATSDR in Partnership With the District of Columbia
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is the lead
public health agency responsible for implementing the health-related provisions
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of
1980 (CERCLA). ATSDR is an Atlanta-based federal agency with more than 400
employees and a budget for 2004 of approximately $73 million. ATSDR assesses the
presence and nature of health hazards at specific Superfund sites, helps to
prevent or reduce further exposure and illnesses resulting from those hazards,
and expands the knowledge base about the health effects of exposure to hazardous
substances.
ATSDR works closely with state agencies to carry out its mission to serve the
public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and
providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and disease
related to toxic substances. Through cooperative agreements and grants, ATSDR
provides funding and technical assistance to states and other partners to
identify and evaluate environmental health threats to communities. These
resources enable state and local health departments and other grantees to
further investigate environmental health concerns and to educate communities. In
fiscal years 1997-2004, ATSDR awarded
$10,000 in
direct funds and services to the
District of Columbia for
comprehensive support of its environmental health unit. In addition to direct
funds and services, ATSDR provides technical and administrative guidance for
state-conducted site activities.
ATSDR Site-Specific Activities
Public Health Assessment-Related Activities
One of ATSDR's important mandates is to conduct
public health
assessments of all National Priorities List (NPL) sites and of other
sites where a significant threat to public health might exist. A public health
assessment is a written, comprehensive evaluation of available data and
information about the release of hazardous substances into the environment in a
specific geographic area. Such releases are assessed for past, current, or
future impact on public health. ATSDR, in collaboration with public health and
environmental officials from the
District of Columbia, has
conducted
two public health assessments in the District.
Washington Navy Yard—The Washington Navy
Yard is an active military facility on approximately 60 acres along the
Anacostia River in southeastern Washington, DC. The
facility has supported shipbuilding, ordnance research and production, and
administrative duties for 200 years. Past activities have contaminated
groundwater underlying the property and contributed to contamination in fish
from the Anacostia River. Primary contaminants of concern
at the site are metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins.
ATSDR reviewed and evaluated groundwater data, surface water and sediment
quality data, and on-site soil data. ATSDR concluded that groundwater,
surface water, and sediment at the site do not pose public health hazards.
However, past exposure to on-site surface soil at homes on Admiral's Row had
the potential to cause adverse health effects in children. ATSDR also
concluded that consumption of locally caught fish near the facility could
pose a public health hazard. The Navy will continue to create and enforce
land-use controls to ensure the public is not exposed to any contaminated
areas unfit for residential use.
River Terrace Community—The River Terrace
community is located near a power plant in Northeast Washington, DC.
In August 2001, the District of Columbia Department of Health
(DC DOH) petitioned ATSDR to investigate whether the nearby
power plant poses a public health risk to the community. Residents expressed
concern about the occurrence of asthma, chronic bronchitis, shortness of
breath, hacking coughs, lung disease, and cancer in their community.
Community members believe these health ailments are related to exposure to
air pollutants from nearby facilities.
ATSDR evaluated air contaminant data gathered from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Aerometric Information Retrieval System, a
computer-based repository for information about U.S. air pollution. Ambient
air monitoring data are available for criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide,
ozone, particulate matter, sulfate, and sulfur dioxide) from two air
monitoring stations in and near River Terrace. Although the levels of some
air pollutants have been elevated at River Terrace, those levels are similar
to levels in any urban area, including the general District of Columbia
metropolitan area.
ATSDR evaluated maximum contaminant levels detected in River Terrace air and
available data on levels known to cause adverse health effects in animals
and humans. The agency concluded that exposure to the air would not be
expected to harm healthy River Terrace residents. However, the maximum
levels of ozone, sulfate, and particulate matter may aggravate preexisting
respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
In a public health assessment released for public comment in March 2004,
ATSDR classified the site as an indeterminate public health hazard because
insufficient data exist to evaluate potentially increased rates of
respiratory effects or cancer. In July 2004, ATSDR hosted two public
information sessions to update the community and share health-related
information from partnering organizations such as DC DOH, the
Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment (MACCHE),
and the Metropolitan Council of Governments/Clean Air Partners.
ATSDR's recommendations included continuing to sample criteria pollutants in
ambient air in River Terrace, sampling additional pollutants in ambient air,
and collecting health outcome data on respiratory ailments and cancer in
River Terrace. EPA has proposed plans to conduct air sampling as part of its
investigation into the nearby power plant, and ATSDR will evaluate data from
this sampling. ATSDR also recommended promoting community awareness about
air pollution in River Terrace; the agency will work in cooperation with
other stakeholders to do so.
A
health consultation is a written or oral response from ATSDR
to a specific request for information about health risks related to a specific
site, chemical release, or hazardous material. A health consultation is a more
limited response than a public health assessment. In the
District of
Columbia, 18 health consultations have been conducted at nine sites,
including the following recent examples.
Spring Valley (
American University)—During
World War I, the U.S. Army conducted chemical warfare research on and near
American University. Chemical weapons were periodically detonated
in the area for research and training purposes. Those materials have since
degraded and are no longer found in soil; however, some arsenic
contamination remains. Chemical agents and unexploded ordnance were also
buried in the area, which is now known as the
Spring Valley
neighborhood.
The contaminants of concern at this site are arsenic, mustard gas, and other
chemical warfare agents. The pathways of concern are soil ingestion, dust
inhalation, and vegetable gardening. ATSDR provided consultation on a number
of concerns about hazardous substances and potential human health effects
that might be associated with exposure to those substances. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for clean-up activities at this
site, is conducting soil sampling.
Because of concerns about potential soil contamination, the Army collected
soil samples from the playground of the
American University Child
Development Center. ATSDR reviewed the results of the arsenic
analysis and found arsenic at levels that could be of concern if children
purposely swallowed as much as a handful of dirt. The Army has since
collected additional samples and the results indicated elevated levels of
arsenic in the soil. The center moved to another facility until the affected
playground soil was removed and replaced.
In December 2003, ATSDR released a health consultation that reviewed indoor
air and soil-gas sampling data to determine whether exposure to chemical
substances detected in indoor air posed an immediate or long-term health
hazard to residents of a home at 4625 Rockwood Parkway. The house was
occupied at the time of sampling but unoccupied when ATSDR received the
data. The building occupants lived in the house for less than 1 year. The
property remains vacant with the potential for the university to lease it to
another tenant.
ATSDR concluded that low levels of volatile and semivolatile substances in
indoor air at the home pose no apparent public health hazard to adult or
child occupants. ATSDR recommended conducting further confirmatory sampling
at the property, the first phase focusing on deep and shallow soil gas. If
results indicate, further indoor air sampling should be conducted. An ATSDR
Web page summarizing the agency's activities at the Spring Valley/American
University site is available at
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/springvalley.
Chillum Gasoline/Perchloroethylene (
PCE)—The
Chillum site is near Chillum, Maryland, on the border of Maryland and the
District of Columbia. The sources of contamination are in Maryland
and the affected community is in the
Lamond-Riggs Park
community in the District of Columbia. Groundwater plumes of gasoline and
PCE have been detected beneath the homes in this area. The gasoline plume
came from a service station at the intersection of Riggs Road and Eastern
Avenue in Chillum. EPA is investigating the source of the PCE plume.
Since 1989, gasoline has leaked or has been released into the ground from
the service station. Several federal and state government agencies have
conducted investigation, remediation, and assessment activities at the site
since 1990. The primary route of human exposure at the site is inhalation of
indoor air potentially contaminated through vapor intrusion. Vapor intrusion
occurs when vapors move up through the soil and into nearby buildings.
For a health consultation released in January 2004, ATSDR reviewed active
soil-gas data collected in 2002 and initial indoor air data collected in
April 2003. The soil-gas data showed that PCE and gasoline
constituents-benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and methyl tertiary
butyl ether (MTBE)-were present. Five residences have PCE soil vapor
concentrations at levels high enough to be a low theoretical increased risk
for cancer. Soil-vapor concentrations of benzene and MTBE were below levels
associated with any appreciable risk for adverse health effects from
subsurface vapor intrusion into residences. In the initial indoor air
samples, six volatile organic compounds were detected at very low levels.
Additional indoor air sampling is needed to better characterize the exposure
and extent of vapor intrusion.
ATSDR classified this site as an indeterminate public health hazard because
of limited indoor air data and a lack of environmental data for potentially
affected locations, such as the church in the area.
ATSDR is preparing a second health consultation to review additional indoor
air data collected by EPA on the basis of ATSDR's recommendations in the
first health consultation for this site.
Kenilworth Park Landfill—ATSDR is early in the process of
developing a health consultation for the
Kenilworth Park
landfill.
An
exposure investigation collects information about specific
human exposures through biologic sampling, personal monitoring, related
environmental assessment, and exposure-dose reconstruction. Following is an
example of an exposure investigation conducted in the
District of
Columbia.
Spring Valley (American University)—In
February 2001, ATSDR conducted an exposure investigation for children and
staff in a day-care center on the American University campus. ATSDR tested
hair from 33 children and staff for arsenic. Results indicated that hair
arsenic levels were within normal levels.
In March 2002, ATSDR conducted an exposure investigation for Spring Valley
residents whose properties had high levels of arsenic in soil. Arsenic
levels in residents' hair and urine were in the range of the general
population; these levels are not expected to cause any health problems.
In June 2003, ATSDR conducted a third exposure investigation using urine
screening only. This exposure investigation included individuals who
participated in the first phase of the exposure investigation; who were
living on, or adjacent to, property that was being remediated; or who had a
single elevated level of arsenic in their yard. This exposure investigation
assessed whether current exposure to arsenic is occurring when residents are
engaged in activities that would expose them to the soil (gardening, lawn
care, and recreational use of their properties). Overall, urine arsenic
testing showed no significant arsenic exposure in the population. Three
individuals had slight elevations in their urine inorganic arsenic levels,
but these levels are not expected to cause health problems.
ATSDR recommended that individuals with mild elevations of inorganic arsenic
should have follow-up urinalysis for arsenic. ATSDR recommended that all
tested individuals discuss their results with their personal health care
providers.
Health Education and Community Activities
As part of its ongoing outreach activities in affected communities, ATSDR
proactively involves communities in identifying their health concerns and
developing actions to address those concerns. Educational activities at the
Spring Valley site have focused on local residents' concerns associated
with exposure to arsenic. A site-specific Web page
(www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/springvalley) has been developed to provide local
residents with an in-depth repository of information. A brochure titled "Safe
Gardening, Safe Play, Safe Home" addressing residents' concerns about their
homes and neighborhoods has been distributed to residents on the ATSDR mailing
list.
In September 2002, the First Annual Conference on Children's Health and the
Environment was held at
George Washington University. The
George Washington University Medical Center (
GWUMC),
Children's National Medical Center, and
MACCHE jointly
sponsored the conference. Participants learned how to recognize the clinical
impact of environmental toxicants on children's health, describe a variety of
approaches to management and interventions regarding environmental health
problems in children, identify resources available to investigate and manage
environmental health problems in children, and recognize the impact of
particular settings and environments on children's health. The second conference
is planned for September 2004.
Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC), with national
headquarters in the
District of Columbia, is a network of 65
clinics and approximately 300 individual health professionals. AOEC plays a key
role in assisting local health care providers and community members respond
effectively to health concerns associated with hazardous waste sites and
unplanned releases of hazardous materials. Through a national cooperative
agreement, AOEC and ATSDR work together to conduct site-specific health
promotion and medical education activities.
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs)
Since 1998, ATSDR has provided funds to AOEC to support a project establishing
PEHSUs as a national resource for pediatricians, other health care providers,
federal staff, and the public. The PEHSUs develop materials and present training
to health professionals and public health officials on environmental health
issues and their impact on children's health. MACCHE provides services
throughout EPA's Region 3. Established in October 2000, MACCHE's key focus is
medical education and training, telephone consultation, and clinical specialty
referral for children who may have been exposed to environmental hazards. MACCHE
is a project of
GWUMC and the
Children's National
Medical Center, and includes collaboration between the
GWUMC
Division of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology and the
Department of Pediatrics. In addition, MACCHE has assembled a team that
includes the
Howard University College of Nursing and faculty
from the
University of Maryland School of Medicine and the
Medical College of Pennsylvania.
In winter 2003-2004, MACCHE played a key role in providing information to
residents and health care providers about potential lead contamination in the
District's drinking water. MACCHE fielded calls from concerned
citizens, attended community meetings, and met with
DC DOH to
help provide information to the approximately 23,000 residents whose homes
received water through lead pipes. A timely fact sheet targeted to residents
addressed safe water lead levels, identified groups at risk, and made
recommendations about blood lead testing and possible behavioral changes to
minimize risk. In additional, MACCHE's co-director twice delivered testimony
before the
DC City Council about lead poisoning.
August 2004