ATSDR - U.S. Naval Engineering Station Lakehurst

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT
ATSDR releases public health assessment on
U.S. Naval Engineering Station Lakehurst

For Immediate Release: July 8, 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, is issuing a public health assessment (PHA) for the 7,400-acre U.S. Naval Air Engineering Station at Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst) in central New Jersey.

This PHA evaluates the possible exposure of on-base and off-base residents to contaminants from NAES Lakehurst, and addresses area residents' health concerns that might be associated with current and past releases of contaminants from NAES Lakehurst. This document includes ATSDR's responses to public comments received from April 24 to June 9, 2003.

ATSDR reviewed available data from many sources and consulted with various local, state and federal agencies to examine thoroughly current environmental conditions on and near the site. On the basis of this information, ATSDR draws the following conclusions and makes the following recommendations in its PHA about several possible sources of contamination:

Drinking or coming into contact with contaminated groundwater on or off the base. ATSDR concluded that groundwater contamination at NAES Lakehurst poses no apparent public health hazard. Monitoring wells and perimeter wells are in place to detect contamination before it could enter drinking water supplies in the future.
Possible contact with unexploded ordnance or chemical warfare materiel while hunting or playing on the base. The U.S. Navy has implemented several measures that have greatly reduced the possibility that someone might be injured or killed by coming in contact with these materials. A new Navy evaluation of all historical information, data, and health and safety measures was started this year.
Possible radiological contamination from eating deer harvested on the base. ATSDR concluded that eating deer meat harvested from the base is not a public health hazard. Deer retain a very small fraction of radioactive materials that they might eat, and the amount that is retained in the deer's body accumulates in body parts that are not commonly eaten.
Possible air pollution emanating from the base. ATSDR used a computer modeling analysis to evaluate the data for air quality. Results of this analysis suggest that emissions do not cause on-base or off-base air pollution to reach unhealthy levels. However, there are regional sources of ozone not related to the base. Ways to obtain information from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to reduce exposures to regional air pollution are identified by ATSDR in the public health assessment.

The document will be available for review on or about July 8, 2003 at the following repository:

Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch
101 Washington St.
Toms River, N.J.

Community members seeking a copy of the document and information on the procedures or content of the public health assessment may contact Charles Grosse or Aimee Tucker at 1-888-422-8737. ATSDR Region II Representative Arthur Block also may be contacted at 212-637-4307. Callers should refer to the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst site in New Jersey.

Community members may also request a copy from ATSDR by mail at the following address.

Chief, Program Evaluation, Records and Information Services Branch
ATSDR
1600 Clifton Road, N.E., Mailstop E-32
Atlanta, GA 30333

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

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This page updated by R. Searfoss July 9, 2003
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
770-488-0700 or e-mail (news media)