ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

Community Meeting to Discuss South Bay, Pahokee Public Water Systems
ATSDR to hold Public Availability Session May 22 and 23

For Immediate Release: May 18, 2006

ATLANTA – The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will hold two public availability sessions to discuss municipal water system quality and exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs) detected in the Pahokee and South Bay municipal water systems in Palm Beach County, Fla. The first session will be held Monday, May 22 from 6:30 until 8 p.m. at the Tanner Park Community Center, 105 E. Palm Beach Road in South Bay. The second session will be held Tuesday, May 23 from 6:30 until 8 p.m. at the Glades Academy, 1200 E. Main St. in Pahokee.

At the sessions, ATSDR experts will be available to speak one-on-one about the quality of public water and THM-related issues. Community members are invited to stop by any time during the sessions to talk with ATSDR staff.

THMs are chemicals formed when water containing organic material is treated with chlorine. Chlorine is frequently used in public water systems to prevent disease from exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses.

Some scientific studies suggest a link between exposure to THMs and adverse health effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked ATSDR to evaluate potential health concerns regarding exposures to THMs in the South Bay and Pahokee communities’ public water systems. THM levels exceeded the EPA maximum contaminant level in 2001; but have remained below the EPA limit since 2004.

For more information, community members may contact Environmental Health Scientist Peter Kowalski or Health Communications Specialist Youlanda Outin, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Benjamin Moore also may be contacted at 1-800-241-1754, ext. 21784. Please refer to the Pahokee/South Bay Municipal Water Systems site.

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.

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Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling the NCEH/ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700.