CATEGORY 2: PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD
This category is used for sites that pose a public health hazard due to the existence of long-term exposures
(> 1 yr) to hazardous substances or conditions that could result in adverse health effects.
This determination represents a professional judgement based on critical data that ATSDR has judged sufficient to
support a decision. The assignment of this category does not necessarily imply that the available data are complete;
in some cases additional data may be required to confirm or further support the decision made.
Criteria
Evaluation of available relevant information* suggests that, under site-specific conditions of exposure, long-term
exposures to site-specific contaminants have had, are having, or are likely to have in the future, an adverse impact on
human health that requires one or more public health interventions. Such site-specific exposures may include the
presence of serious physical hazards, such as open mine shafts, poorly stored or maintained flammable/explosive
substances, or medical devices which, upon rupture, could release radioactive materials.
*Such as environmental and demographic data; health outcome data; exposure data; community health
concerns information; toxicologic, medical, and epidemiologic data.
ATSDR Actions
ATSDR will make recommendations to stop or reduce exposure in a timely manner to mitigate the health risks
posed by the site. The recommendations issued in the public health assessment should be consistent with the degree
of hazard and temporal concerns posed by exposures to hazardous substances at the site. Actions related to the
recommendations may have occurred before the actual completion of the public health assessment.
Based on the degree of hazard posed by the site and the presence of sufficiently defined current, past, or future
completed exposure pathways, one or more of the following public health actions also may be recommended:
- biologic monitoring
- biomedical testing
- case study
- epidemiologic study
- community health investigations
- registries
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public health surveillance
cluster investigation
health statistics review
health professional education
community health/stress education
substance-specific applied research
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