ATSDR to Host a Public Availability Session About the Barite Hill/Nevada Goldfields Site

Friday, June 19, 2009

The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is hosting a public availability session in McCormick, South Carolina, in regard to the Barite Hill/Nevada Goldfields site. A public availability session gives community members the opportunity to meet one-on-one with ATSDR staff to share their comments and health concerns about the site.

The session will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, from 5 to 7 PM at McCormick High School, which is located at 516 Mims Drive. Community members may come by anytime during the 2-hour session to meet with ATSDR staff. All conversations will be confidential. A media availability session will be held before the public availability session from 4:30 to 5 PM at the same location.

ATSDR considers community members' health concerns about possible exposure to contamination from a site as part of the public health assessment (PHA) process. In doing a PHA, ATSDR reviews information about contamination at a site and publishes a report of its findings. The PHA report explains how ATSDR evaluated exposures to chemicals on the site and the potential for health effects from these exposures. The report may also make recommendations necessary to protect the health and safety of community members.

For more information about the public availability session, please contact ATSDR Health Communication Specialist La Freta Dalton at 770-488-0711 or ldalton@cdc.gov, or ATSDR Regional Representative Bob Safay at 404-562-1782 or safay.robert@epamail.epa.gov. When calling, please refer to the Barite Hill/Nevada Goldfields site.

Media inquiries: 770-488-0700.

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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.

• Page last reviewed: February 9, 2009
• Page last updated: February 9, 2009
• Content source: Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry