ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Finds Atlantic Station Redevelopment Site Is Not a Public Health Hazard

For Immediate Release: Aug. 27, 2004

ATLANTA - No on-site contaminants or dust releases from the Atlantic Station Redevelopment Project are at levels that would cause adverse health effects, according to the public health consultation the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is releasing today. The project is under multiphase construction near downtown Atlanta.

Atlantic Station is the site of a former steel mill and a fertilizer manufacturing plant. Contaminated site areas either have been cleaned up or covered with a site barrier.

A community member petitioned ATSDR to investigate the site to find out whether soil contamination left on the site could be a health hazard to future residents and workers and to the surrounding community during the project's construction phases.

The federal public health agency examined environmental data collected for site investigation reports, including soil sampling, air monitoring and groundwater sampling data. ATSDR also examined complaints of airborne dust from the site remediation and construction phases of the project, improperly removed asbestos-containing materials and the presence of radioactive materials. These radioactive materials are called orphan sources and are sometimes found in recycled scrap metal.

To prevent any future residential contact with soil contaminants, a 2-foot soil layer covers large areas of the western half of the site where residential, commercial and park space is planned. A conservation easement, in which the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia have limited ownership interest in the property, ensures that the soil barrier will remain in place.

ATSDR reached two conclusions after analyzing the site data:

— With the available air monitoring data and the continued effectiveness of site barriers, exposures at the site are not at levels likely to cause adverse health effects.
—ATSDR found no evidence of radioactive materials at the Atlantic Station site.

The public health consultation was previously made available for public review and comment. The final version includes the comments made by members of the public and ATSDR's responses to the comments.

The public health consultation is available for review at the following location:
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
Peachtree Branch (Midtown)
1315 Peachtree St., N.E.
Atlanta

For more information, community members can contact Environmental Health Scientist James Durant or Health Communications Specialist Rose Jackson, toll-free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Bob Safay also may be contacted at 404-562-1782. Callers should refer to the Atlantic Station Redevelopment Project site in Atlanta.

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.

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Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling Jennifer Sarginson or Jill Smith in the ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700.