Public Health Activities

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), is the federal agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services required to conduct public health assessments for sites proposed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List (NPL). The Omaha Lead site was proposed for the National Priorities List on February 26, 2002 and listed on April 30, 2003.

ATSDR Activities

July 2005 Cancer Data Review [PDF - 1,014 KB]
Ongoing exposure to lead at the OLS puts children 6 and younger living in or near the Omaha Lead Site area at risk of lead-related health effects; specifically, increased blood lead levels, and learning difficulties and slightly impaired hearing and growth.

East Omaha residents had a modest increased rate for lung, kidney, and stomach cancer compared with residents of Douglas County or Nebraska. Bladder and brain cancer rates were not increased, and there was no consistent increased rate of kidney cancer. Because of the limitations in the methods of the data review, these results should be interpreted cautiously. The findings from this analysis are insufficient to conclude that lead contamination has caused cancer in residents of East Omaha. It is very possible that the other risk factors of smoking, nutrition, occupation, or exposure to other cancer-causing substances led to the modest increases in lung and stomach cancers.

May 2005 Public Health Assessment [PDF - 87 KB]
The public health assessment conducted by ATSDR to evaluate the possible public health impacts of lead at the Omaha Lead site. The assessment includes agency findings and recommendations for clean-up and future lead poisoning prevention.

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