 |
|
|
October 24, 2003 Contact: Patricia Feeny (503) 945-6955 Technical contact: Michael Heumann (503) 731-4573 DHS releases View-Master health consultation report A report of findings to date on potential health hazards related to the View-Master factory, which formerly operated in Beaverton, underscore the urgent need to conduct a larger health study among people who worked at the plant, according to public health officials at the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). "This report builds upon a draft that was released last January," says Michael Heumann, epidemiologist in DHS. "It clarifies initial findings and includes comments raised during the public comment period along with our response to the comments." In 1998, the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) was discovered in the View-Master well, from which workers drank, at concentrations of up to 1,670 parts per billion. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has classified TCE as a probable human carcinogen with a maximum safety level in drinking water of 5 parts per billion. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality estimates the TCE was present in the supply well for more than 20 years. In response to concerns about human health effects, DHS conducted a preliminary study of deaths among former factory workers and among all Oregonians from 1995 through 2001. It found higher than expected percentages of deaths from pancreatic and kidney cancers and lower than expected levels for liver and lympho/hematopoetic cancers among the factory's former employees. The proportions of these cancers were extremely small both among workers and all Oregonians. "However, these are rough, preliminary results," says Heumann. "There are still many questions to be answered. The bottom line is that a broader investigation and analysis is needed if we are to gain precise information about what happened to people who worked at the View-Master plant." An in-depth study would help put the health risk of TCE exposure into perspective for View-Master employees, show the health impact on the local community, and advance existing medical and scientific knowledge about the impact of TCE exposure on human health, Heumann adds. The DHS investigation was conducted under a cooperative agreement with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). DHS is working with ATSDR and other federal agencies to find funding for an in depth health study among former workers. Heumann says that a citizens advisory group has formed to serve as a way for former View-Master employees and other interested people to learn more about hazards of TCE exposure and to contribute to DHS efforts to conduct the larger health study. The advisory group continues to meet monthly and will help DHS design and carry out a study that meets the needs of workers. Additional information about the View-Master site can be found on the Web. |
|
