The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today is releasing a final public health consultation containing the results of an investigation of ambient air concentrations of hydrogen sulfide associated with the Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper Mill site in Plymouth, N.C.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) provided ATSDR with a summary of an air emissions study and asked ATSDR to determine if there is a public health hazard to residents of five counties surrounding the Weyerhaeuser site including Chowan, Bertie, Martin, Beaufort and Washington counties.

On the basis of air modeling results, the health consultation acknowledges that residents living around the Weyerhaeuser site may be exposed to ambient air concentrations of hydrogen sulfide that exceed the health-protective levels recommended by NCDHHS and the North Carolina Scientific Advisory Board. However, because no actual ambient air monitoring data are available, the Weyerhaeuser site is classified as an indeterminate public health hazard.

In the public health consultation, ATSDR recommends the following actions:

• Conduct air monitoring in residential areas near the facility to better define
  the ambient air concentrations of hydrogen sulfide to which people are being exposed. NCDHHS has submitted a proposal to ATSDR's Exposure Investigation Section (EIS) requesting that these ambient air monitoring investigations for chemical emissions from the site be conducted. EIS has accepted the proposal and plans to conduct the studies later this year.

• Review available information on potential releases of other site-related chemicals from non-process sources at the facility, such as the waste water treatment plant, to determine if off-site ambient air monitoring for other site-related chemicals is indicated. ATSDR will consult with NCDHHS and Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper Mill to make this determination.

The health consultation will be available for public review online at www.dhhs.state.nc.us and at the following repository:

Washington County Library
201 East Third St.
Plymouth, N.C. 27962
252-793-2113

For more information, community members can contact Environmental Health Scientist Gregory Zarus, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Carl Blair also may be contacted at 404-562-1786. In addition, Epidemiologist Luanne Williams from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services may be contacted at 919-715-6429. Callers should refer to the Weyerhaeuser site in Plymouth, N.C.