ATSDR - W.R. Grace Site in Acton, Mass.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Search | Index | Home | Glossary | Contact Us

ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR to Hold Public Meeting and Availability Session
Concerning the W.R. Grace Site in Acton, Mass.

For Immediate Release: Oct. 20, 2003

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today announces an upcoming meeting to gather community input for a public health assessment (PHA) regarding the W.R. Grace site in Acton, near Boston, Mass.

The public meeting and public availability session will take place on Oct. 28 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Acton Memorial Library, located at 486 Main St. in Acton. ATSDR representatives will be available to provide the community with information about the agency's work at the site and to meet one-on-one with community members who have health concerns possibly related to contaminants from the W.R. Grace site.

Information gathering about community health concerns is part of ATSDR's public health assessment process and data gained during the meeting will be included in the final PHA document. The public health assessment is an evaluation of whether exposures to contaminants from this site might cause harm to individuals.

For more information, community members can contact Environmental Health Scientist Robert Knowles or Community Involvement Specialist Loretta Bush, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative William Sweet also may be contacted at 617-918-1495. Callers should refer to the W.R. Grace site in Acton, Mass.

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 assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned. Headquartered in Atlanta, ATSDR is staffed by more than 400 health professionals including epidemiologists, physicians, toxicologists, engineers and public health educators.

###

Members of the news media may request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling Elaine McEachern or Jennifer Sarginson in the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs at 770-488-0700.

Back to ATSDR Home page

Updated by R. Searfoss October 20, 2003
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
770-488-0700 or e-mail (news media)