HEALTH CONSULTATION
TORCH LAKE AREA BROWNFIELDS
HOUGHTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Figure 1. Torch Lake Area Brownfields
Michigan Department of Community Health
John Filpus, Environmental Engineer
Robin Freer, Resource Specialist
James Bedford, Environmental Toxicologist
Brendan Boyle, Principal Investigator
ATSDR Regional Representative
Louise Fabinski
Regional Services, Region V
Office of the Assistant Administrator
ATSDR Technical Project Officer
William Greim
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
Superfund Site Assessment Branch
The Torch Lake Area Brownfields Health Consultation was prepared by the Michigan Department of Community Health under a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). It is in accordance with approved methodology and procedures existing at the time the health consultation was initiated.
William Greim
Technical Project Officer, SPS, SSAB, DHAC
The Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, ATSDR, has reviewed this health consultation and concurs with its findings.
Richard Gillig
Chief, SPS, SSAB, DHAC, ATSDR
1. On April 1, 1996, the Michigan Department of Public Health (MDPH) Division of Health
Risk Assessment (DHRA) was absorbed into the newly-formed Michigan Department of
Community Health (MDCH). The site history and background section of this document uses the
departmental identifiers in effect at the time of the events.
2. The MDEQ Industrial and Commercial Cleanup Criteria for lead were developed using the
U.S. EPA Integrated Uptake Biokinetic Model for children. No risk assessment methods are
currently available to evaluate lead toxicity in adults.
3. Pica behavior is an abnormal consumption of non-food materials, such as soil, most often
seen in children under 5 years of age.
4. People who consumed lead acetate in capsules evinced decreased concentrations of an
enzyme involved in the production of blood after as little as 3 days exposure (9, 10).
5. PAHs found in the study areas include acenaphthene, anthracene, benzo(a)anthracene,
benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene,
dibenz(a,h)anthracene, fluoranthene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene.
