People who visit the Midnite Mine should limit their time there to reduce the chances of being exposed to contaminants, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). ATSDR is seeking public comments on its draft public health assessment. Comments on the report are being accepted through July 20, 2009.

The Midnite Mine site is an inactive open-pit mine located on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, WA. Many people visit the mine area for traditional or subsistence activities. The site includes the mined area, mine roads built with gravel from waste rock, and areas to the south that receive drainage from the mined area. It also includes Blue Creek and groundwater in the mined area.

ATSDR found that coming into contact with contaminants at this site over a long period of time could harm the health of people who visit the area. The agency recommends that people not drink water from the site, including water from Blue Creek, and avoid eating plants or roots that grow in the area.

ATSDR was unable to determine if there is a danger from eating beef, deer or elk that graze in the site area, but advises people not to hunt large game in the mined or mining-affected areas.

Other recommendations include that people spend no more than one hour a day in the mined area. People are also advised not to swim or fish in Blue Creek.

ATSDR is also recommending further testing of fish, plants, and large game at the site for metals and radionuclides.

The public health assessment document is available for review at the following location:

Spokane Tribal College Library

Phone: 509-258-9202

The document can also be viewed on ATSDR's website at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/pha/publiccomments.asp