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October 24, 2003
Contact: Patricia Feeny (503) 945-6955
Technical contact: Michael Heumann (503) 731-4573
DHS releases View-Master health consultation report
A report of findings to date on potential health hazards related to the View-Master
factory, which formerly operated in Beaverton, underscore the urgent need to
conduct a larger health study among people who worked at the plant, according
to public health officials at the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS).
"This report builds upon a draft that was released last January," says Michael
Heumann, epidemiologist in DHS. "It clarifies initial findings and includes
comments raised during the public comment period along with our response to
the comments."
In 1998, the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) was discovered in the
View-Master well, from which workers drank, at concentrations of up to 1,670
parts per billion. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has classified
TCE as a probable human carcinogen with a maximum safety level in drinking water
of 5 parts per billion.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality estimates the TCE was present
in the supply well for more than 20 years.
In response to concerns about human health effects, DHS conducted a preliminary
study of deaths among former factory workers and among all Oregonians from 1995
through 2001. It found higher than expected percentages of deaths from pancreatic
and kidney cancers and lower than expected levels for liver and lympho/hematopoetic
cancers among the factory's former employees. The proportions of these cancers
were extremely small both among workers and all Oregonians.
"However, these are rough, preliminary results," says Heumann. "There are still
many questions to be answered. The bottom line is that a broader investigation
and analysis is needed if we are to gain precise information about what happened
to people who worked at the View-Master plant."
An in-depth study would help put the health risk of TCE exposure into perspective
for View-Master employees, show the health impact on the local community, and
advance existing medical and scientific knowledge about the impact of TCE exposure
on human health, Heumann adds.
The DHS investigation was conducted under a cooperative agreement with the
federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). DHS is working
with ATSDR and other federal agencies to find funding for an in depth health
study among former workers.
Heumann says that a citizens advisory group has formed to serve as a way for
former View-Master employees and other interested people to learn more about
hazards of TCE exposure and to contribute to DHS efforts to conduct the larger
health study. The advisory group continues to meet monthly and will help DHS
design and carry out a study that meets the needs of workers.
Additional information about
the View-Master site can be found on the Web.
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