ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Schedules Meetings About Asbestos Exposure
at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Two sessions set for Aug. 17

For Immediate Release: Aug. 16, 2004

ATLANTA - Representatives from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) want to hear community members' health concerns about naturally occurring asbestos at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif.

ATSDR representatives will be available to talk with residents one-to-one on Aug. 17, 2004, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. and 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Cameron Park Library, 2500 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park, Calif.

Also, during U.S. Environmental Protection Agency community meetings at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 18 and 19, 2004, about naturally occurring asbestos, an ATSDR environmental health scientist will discuss the health effects of asbestos exposure. The meetings are at the Folsom Community Center, 52 Natoma St., Folsom, Calif.

A federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ATSDR evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.

In response to a petition from community members, ATSDR is investigating the possible health hazards of naturally occurring asbestos on the grounds of Oak Ridge High School. The investigation report, which the agency calls a public health consultation, will be released for public review and comment this fall.

For more information, community members can contact Community Involvement Specialist Youlanda Outin or Environmental Health Scientist Jill Dyken, toll-free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Susan Muza also may be contacted at 303-312-7011. Callers should refer to Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif.

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 John Florence or Jennifer Sarginson in the ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700.