The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today announced the release of a public health assessment (PHA) on the Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research/Old Campus Landfill (LEHR) site, on the University of California, Davis campus near Davis, Calif. The document will be available for public review and comment at local repositories from July 30 through Oct. 31, 2003.

ATSDR is issuing the PHA in response to community concerns about exposure to hazardous materials, the practices that led to the environmental contamination, and wastes produced by the site and by UC Davis. Areas of concern include:

• contaminants in groundwater, Putah Creek and storm water;
• effects on health from possible exposures to site-related contaminants;
• elevated levels of nitrate often detected in private well water;
• possible effects on people who eat fish from Putah Creek.

In the public health assessment, ATSDR makes the following recommendations:

• Private well users in the community surrounding LEHR should:
  (1) regularly test their well water for nitrate/nitrite;
  (2) avoid giving infants under 6 months of age private well water if nitrate/nitrite levels exceed EPA's maximum contaminant level and ATSDR's CV;
  (3) avoid boiling water, which tends to concentrate nitrate/nitrite levels. Instead, look for an alternative source of water.
• Pregnant women and nursing mothers should refrain from eating largemouth bass from Putah Creek to prevent exposure of their fetus or nursing infant to the harmful effects of mercury. If future data show elevated levels of mercury in other species of fish, then ATSDR will expand its precaution as needed.
• UC Davis should continue to monitor groundwater to ensure that site-related contaminants are not reaching groundwater used for local drinking water.

The Department of Energy (DOE) formerly used the site for research, conducted by UC Davis, on the effects of radiation on humans and dogs. From the late 1950s up to the early 1970s, the researchers disposed on the site low-level radioactive waste, fecal material, gravel from the dog pens and laboratory waste. In addition, before 1967, UC Davis operated three landfills on the site.

DOE began restoration of the site in 1989 and the Environmental Protection Agency added the site to its National Priorities List in 1994. Contaminants of concern include pesticides such as chlordane, certain metals, volatile organic compounds such as chloroform, and radioactive substances such as radium-226 and strontium-90. UC Davis and DOE currently share responsibility for the site restoration.

ATSDR began its involvement in 1995 with a site visit and meeting with local residents and state and federal officials. ATSDR published three health consultations in 1997 and 1998 and revisited the site in 2000. The agency's site visits, discussions with community members and state officials, and review of site-related documents made the community's concerns known and led to the public health assessment.

The PHA will be available for public review and comment from July 30 through Oct. 31 at these Davis, Calif., repositories:

Yolo County Library
314 E. 14th St.

Physical Sciences Library
1 Shields Ave.

Davis Library
315 E. 14th St.

Freedom From Hunger
1644 Da Vinci Court

University of California Law Library
400 Mrak Hall Drive

ATSDR welcomes comments from the public. Comments on the PHA must be made in writing and should be mailed to

Chief, Program Evaluation, Records and Information Services Branch
ATSDR
1600 Clifton Rd., NE (MS E-60)
Atlanta, GA 30333

Comments received during the public comment period will be logged in to ATSDR's administrative record for this health assessment. Comments received, without the names of individuals who submitted them, and ATSDR's responses to the comments will appear in an appendix to the final PHA. Names of those who submit comments, however, will be subject to release for requests made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Community members seeking information on the PHA may contact Wayne Henry or Ruby Palmer, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Gwen Eng also may be contacted at 415-947-4317. When calling, refer to the LEHR site in Davis, Calif.