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 the final version of a public health consultation concerning the health effects from a mixed plume of gasoline and perchloroethylene (perc or PCE) at the Chillum site in Hyattsville, Md., and Washington, D.C.

The gasoline plume originated at a service station in the Chillum section of Hyattsville, Md., and migrated into the Lamond-Riggs Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The source of the perc plume is still under investigation. Since 1990, several federal and state agencies have conducted investigation, remediation and assessment activities at the site. The primary route of human exposure is inhalation of potentially contaminated indoor air through vapor intrusion.

ATSDR has categorized this site as an indeterminate public health hazard. The concentrations for the indoor air pathway are not available and the soil vapor concentrations for perc indicate a low, theoretical increased cancer risk.

ATSDR recommends additional indoor air sampling in the community to verify indoor air contamination at the point of exposure. Indoor air samples were collected during summer 2003 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and results of its analysis should be available soon. ATSDR also recommends an analysis of potentially affected locations in the area, such as a neighborhood church.

ATSDR will assist, as needed, in further evaluations of additional environmental data to better characterize the exposure and the extent of vapor intrusion. The agency will continue to work with EPA, the District of Columbia Department of Health and the Maryland Department of the Environment to respond to public health questions and concerns. ATSDR will also review and compile results of a community health concern survey sheet and release the findings to the community in early 2004.

For more information, community members can contact Regional Representative Lora Siegmann Werner at 215-814-3141, Community Involvement Specialist LaFreta Dalton or Health Assessor Jane Zhu, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Callers should refer to the Chillum site in Washington, D.C./Hyattsville, Md.