ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR to Host Community Meeting for Albany Research Center Site

For Immediate Release: April 5, 2006

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will host a community meeting on April 19, in Albany, Ore., to gather community health concerns related to the Albany Research Center site (ARC).

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality requested that ATSDR evaluate the environmental health effects of several contaminants that have been detected in and around the ARC facility.

The meeting will be held from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Albany Public Library, 1390 Waverly Drive in Albany. Community members are invited to stop by at any time during the meeting to talk to ATSDR staff one-on-one about site-related health concerns.

Once ATSDR gathers enough information, it will release a public health consultation. The consultation will include conclusions about possible site-related health hazards and recommendations to protect the public's health, as well as public comments gathered at the meeting.

Community members who have questions about the community meeting may contact Environmental Geologist Mark Evans or Health Communication Specialist Marilyn Palmer at 1-888-422-8737. Those who cannot attend can submit their concerns online at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/contactus.html, or they may mail them to

ATSDR/HPCIP, Marilyn Palmer
1600 Clifton Rd. Mailstop E-32
Atlanta, Ga. 30333

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.

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