The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, plans to hold two public availability sessions and to meet individually with community members concerned about the American Creosote Works, Inc., site in Louisville, Miss.

The purpose of the public availability sessions is to gather possible health concerns from residents living around the site.

The sessions will be held June 29, 2004, at the Louisville Housing Authority Community Room, 605-A West Main St. The first session will be from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and the second session will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

ATSDR is conducting a public health assessment of the American Creosote Works site and is reviewing recent sampling data.

American Creosote Works is a former wood-preserving and timber-processing facility that operated from 1912 until 1998. Eight monitoring wells are on the site, and creosote has been detected in groundwater but not at levels of health concern. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has re-sampled the city municipal water supply and it is not being affected by site contaminants.

For more information, community members can contact Toxicologist Deborah Boling or Health Communications Specialist Youlanda Outin, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Benjamin Moore also may be contacted toll-free at 1-800-241-1754, ext. 21784. Callers should refer to the American Creosote Works site in Louisville, Miss.

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. Established by Congress in 1980 under the Superfund law, ATSDR conducts public health assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned.

Headquartered in Atlanta, ATSDR is staffed by more than 400 health professionals including epidemiologists, physicians, toxicologists, engineers and public health educators.