The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced today that it will begin a study to determine the prevalence of autoimmune and cardiovascular disease among people who were born in and who lived in certain parts of Washington, including the area surrounding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Hanford, Wash.

The Hanford Birth Cohort Study will begin the week of Feb. 23 and will focus on people who may have been exposed to radioactive releases from the Hanford site. ATSDR has randomly selected a sample of 2,000 people who were born in Adams, Benton, Franklin, Mason, San Juan and Whatcom counties between 1945 and 1951 and who lived in one of these six counties for at least 12 months.

ATSDR mailed a letter earlier this week to candidates chosen for the study. During February and March, interviewers will call the selected candidates to conduct an interview by telephone. The interview, which should last no more than 30 minutes, will cover questions about the participant's general health and background.

ATSDR is conducting the Hanford Birth Cohort Study at the request of the Hanford Health Effects Subcommittee, a citizens' group formed to address health effects related to Hanford. The subcommittee recommended that ATSDR study cardiovascular (or heart) disease and autoimmune disease, which is an illness that occurs when the body tissues are attacked by the body's own immune system.

The Hanford Birth Cohort Study is separate from other Hanford health projects, and eligible participants may participate even if they are a part of other Hanford health projects.

To determine if you have been selected as a candidate for the study, call 1-866-HANFORD (1-866-426-3673).

Community members seeking more information about the study should call Caroline Cusack, the project's Principal Investigator, toll free at 1-888-42ATSDR (or 1-888- 422-8737).