ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR to Host Open House Concerning the Sigmon’s Septic Tank Site in Statesville

For Immediate Release: December 2, 2005

ATLANTA - Scientists from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will host an open house Monday, Dec. 5 from 6-8 p.m. concerning the Sigmon’s Septic Tank Site in Statesville, N.C. The public and interested persons are encouraged to visit any time during these two hours to talk one-on-one with ATSDR representatives about any health concerns regarding this site.

Sigmon’s Septic Tank Service pumped septic tank waste and heavy sludges from residential, commercial and industrial customers; installed and repaired septic tanks; and provided a variety of industrial waste removal services. From 1978 to 1992, the company placed septic wastes in several unlined lagoons that had been dug on their property, which contaminated soil and area groundwater with inorganic and organic substances.

In 1998, as a result of these substances being detected in nearby private drinking-water wells, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources advised the residents not to drink the water. The Sigmon’s Septic Tank site was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List, a list of sites nominated by the states for hazardous waste cleanup, in Sept. 2004.

ATSDR representatives will be available to talk with the community and concerned individuals. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria at Celeste Henkel Elementary School at 1503 Old Mountain Road in Statesville.

For more information about ATSDR’s activities in Statesville, community members can contact ATSDR Environmental Health Scientists Annmarie DePasquale or David Sutton toll free at 1-888-422-8737. Callers should refer to the Sigmon’s Septic Tank site in Statesville, N.C.

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 activities at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned.

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