The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announces several upcoming community meetings related to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory site (LLNL) in Livermore, California.

February 18, 2003

Public availability session from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Arroyo Royal Seco School, located at 5280 Irene Way in Livermore. ATSDR representatives will be available to hear public health concerns related to contaminants from the LLNL site.

Public meeting from 7:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. also at the Arroyo Royal Seco School, 5280 Irene Way in Livermore. ATSDR representatives will hold a community meeting about the historical accidental tritium releases from the LLNL site.

February 19, 2003

Public meeting from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. at the City of Livermore Council Chamber, located at 3575 Pacific Avenue in Livermore. ATSDR will make a presentation of the public comment version of its health assessment on Plutonium 239 in Sewage Sludge Used as a Soil or Soil Amendment in the Livermore Community. Please note: the previous address for the public meeting was given in error (1052 S. Livermore Avenue), the correct address for the meeting is 3575 Pacific Avenue.

Also, at this same meeting, the California Department of Health Services will present a health consultation that summarizes health studies covering cancer (particularly melanoma, a type of skin cancer) and birth defects among LLNL workers and Livermore community members.

Gathering information about community health concerns is part of ATSDR’s public health assessment (PHA) process. This PHA is an evaluation of whether exposures to contaminants from this site might cause harm to individuals.

The documents will be available for public review and comment on or about Feb. 18, 2003 at the following repositories in Livermore:

To request a copy of the public health assessment, write to the following address:

Chief, Program Evaluation, Records, and Information Services Branch
ATTN: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
1600 Clifton Road, NE (E60)
Atlanta, GA 30333

The public comment period for the Plutonium 239 Sewage Sludge PHA ends April 29, 2003. ATSDR welcomes comments from the public. Written comments should be mailed to the following address:

Chief, Program Evaluation, Records and Information Services Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
ATSDR Mailstop E-60
1600 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30333

Comments received during the public comment period will be logged into the administrative record of the health assessment. Public comments and ATSDR’s responses will be included in an appendix to the final health assessment when it is released. Although the names of those who submit comments will not be included in the final health assessment, the names are subject to release in response to requests made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Community members seeking information about the procedures or the content of the public health assessment should contact Mark Evans, ATSDR health assessor, toll free at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Also available to answer questions is Bill Nelson, ATSDR regional representative in San Francisco at 415-947-4316. Callers should reference the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory site in California.

Members of the community who have questions about the meetings may contact Community Involvement Specialists Loretta Bush or La Freta Dalton, at ATSDR at 1-888-422-8737 (toll free), weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST.

Members of the news media who are unable to attend the media availability session or who have questions about the methyl parathion study may request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling Elaine McEachern or John Florence or in the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs at 404-498-0070.