What: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today released its review of motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (MND/ALS) risk factors and mortality in Bexar County, Texas.
The report is titled "Motor Neuron Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Preliminary Review of Environmental Risk Factors and Mortality in Bexar County, Texas." The document should be considered as background information to the ALS investigations of former Kelly Air Force Base (AFB) workers currently being conducted by the U.S. Air Force, and state and local health organizations.
The ATSDR report discusses several environmental risk factors that have been investigated for an association with the risk of acquiring ALS. These previously investigated environmental risk factors include organic chemicals, heavy metals, and agricultural chemicals. However, the cumulative evidence for specific environmental factors is limited and inconsistent. More epidemiological research is required before strong causal linkages can be established.
The report begins with an overview of ALS, including its clinical and epidemiological characteristics. This description is followed by a review of the available literature on suspected environmental risk factors associated with the disease. The report concludes with a presentation of the ALS mortality experience for Bexar County in recent years.
Representatives from the South Texas Chapter of the ALS Association; the Air Force Institute for Environment, Safety and Occupational Risk Analysis (AFIERA); the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District; and the Texas Department of Health are conducting an evaluation of ALS cases with previous connections to Kelly AFB. AFIERA also is supporting a mortality study of former Kelly AFB civilian workers that will evaluate ALS among other endpoints. ATSDR continues to provide technical support for these activities, as requested. This ATSDR report was prepared in support of those research activities.
Where: The report will be available at the following repositories on March 5, 2002:
J. F. Kennedy High School Library
1922 S. General McMullen
San Antonio, Texas
Las Palmas Library
515 Castroville Rd.
San Antonio, Texas
Pan American Library
1122 W. Pyron
San Antonio, Texas
Memorial Library
3222 Culebra
San Antonio, Texas
For More Information: Community members who would like more information on the procedures or content of the report, should contact Epidemiologist Curtis Noonan, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to the "Kelly Air Force Base site in San Antonio, Texas." ATSDR Regional Representative Jennifer Lyke also may be called for information at (214) 665-8362 in Dallas.
Members of the news media are requested to make an appointment to interview ATSDR staff. Phone Mike Groutt or Kathy Skipper in the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs at (404) 498-0070.