ATSDR - Meeting to Discuss Agana Power Plant and Orote Landfill Site

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT
ATSDR Announces Meetings to Discuss Agana
Power Plant and Orote Landfill Sites

For Immediate Release: February 21, 2002

Note for Correspondents: Representatives from ATSDR will be available to meet with members of the news media from 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. on March 1 before the public meeting for the Agana Power Plant site at the Tun Jose Pepe Duenas Community Center located in Toto. ATSDR representatives will also be available to talk to the news media prior to the public availability sessions for the Orote Landfill site on March 9, from 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. at the Southern High School in Santa Rita. News media who are unable to attend the sessions or who would like additional information can contact Mike Groutt or John Florence, ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs, at (404) 498-0070.

What: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will hold two meetings to provide residents with information related to agency work at two different sites on Guam-the Agana Power Plant site and the Orote Landfill site. Chamorro translation will be provided.

Agana Power Plant Public - Health Assessment Update

When: On Friday, March 1, ATSDR will hold a public meeting for members of the Mongmong community to discuss our progress and preliminary findings on the public health assessment for the Agana Power Plant. ATSDR is currently preparing a focused public health assessment to address issues reported in a health consultation for the site which was published in September 2000. Members of the public are invited.

Public Meeting
Friday, March 1, 2002
Tun Jose Pepe Duenas Community Center, in Toto
4:30 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. - Large group meeting
5:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. - Poster session and discussions

ATSDR is developing a focused public health assessment to evaluate possible exposures associated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Agana Power Plant site. In September 2000, ATSDR released a health consultation for the site which identified a number of past and present activities related to the power plant which could expose people to PCBs. The health assessment which is currently being developed addresses three of those activities. The remaining activities will be addressed in future documents.

Public health assessments report information about hazardous substances in the environment and evaluate whether exposure to those substances in the past, present or future could harm people in the area. ATSDR makes recommendations to other government agencies, such as the EPA and state and local health and environmental departments, concerning actions to protect public health.

In preparing public health assessments, ATSDR health assessors rely on various sources of information. These sources may include: environmental data, health data and reports of community concerns. Environmental data detail the chemicals at a site and indicate their potential pathways to reach humans. Health data can include reports of injury, disease, or death in the community, as well as information on the known health effects of chemicals at the site. Reports of community concerns document the public's descriptions of how the site affects their health and quality of life.

Orote Landfill - Current Seafood Advisory and Other Community Concerns

On Saturday, March 9, ATSDR and Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services will be available to speak privately with individuals and families about Orote Landfill issues.

Also, Guam Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Navy will be available at separate tables to talk with individuals and families.

Public Availability Session (with Guam EPA, Guam Public Health)
Saturday, March 9, 2002
Southern High School
2 sessions: 10:00 a.m. - Noon; and 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

*This will entail private discussions with individuals and families.

ATSDR is working with the Guam EPA and Guam Public Health to further investigate PCB contamination around the Orote Landfill. The agencies are investigating community exposure to chemical contamination in fish caught in an area near the landfill. The seafood advisory for the area between Orote Point and Nimitz Beach was posted after sampling of fish from the area revealed elevated levels of PCBs and other chemicals. Guam EPA and Guam Public Health issued the warning until more information on the extent and the level of contamination was known. ATSDR is working to assist the Guam agencies in developing that information.

Public availability sessions are not intended to be large-scale public meetings. Instead, members of the public are invited to drop in at any time during the session to talk one-on-one with representatives from the agencies about their health concerns related to the site. While the session is open to the public, individual conversations with agency representatives are private.

For More Information: For more information, members of the communities can contact ATSDR Environmental Health Scientists Monica Booker or Charles Grosse, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Please refer to the site, either the "Agana Power Plant " or the "Orote Landfill" on Guam when calling the toll free number.

Additional information on the health effects of PCBs can be found in the ToxFAQs section on the ATSDR web site at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov.

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This page last updated on August 23, 2002
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
770-488-0700 or e-mail (news media)