What: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will hold two public availability sessions in Wall Township, New Jersey, to provide area residents with an opportunity to discuss their health concerns regarding polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination related to the Evans Area of Fort Monmouth.
Where & When: Representatives from ATSDR will be available to meet with members of the news media during two public availability sessions on February 7. The availability sessions will be held from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., and again from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the following location:
Wall Township Municipal Building
Community Room - - lower level
2700 Allaire Road
Wall, New Jersey 07719
Background: Fort Monmouth houses the headquarters of the US Army Communication and Electronics Command. The installation includes the Main Post, the Charles Wood area, and the Evans area. In July 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommended the realignment and partial closure of Fort Monmouth. The realignment involves closing the entire Evans Area (215 acres).
PCBs were once used at the former research facility to insulate and cool electrical equipment such as transformers. Releases of PCBs to the soil have migrated beyond site boundaries and onto residential properties. On August 9, 2001, the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine and the BRAC Environmental Coordinator for Fort Monmouth requested ATSDR's assistance in evaluating the health impacts of PCB contamination which had migrated from the post into residential areas.
ATSDR will prepare a health consultation, which evaluates available information about PCB contamination in residential yards, and determines whether people might be exposed to PCBs at levels that will cause harm to health.
An ATSDR health consultation provides advice on specific public health issues related to actual or potential exposure to hazardous substances. ATSDR prepares about 1,000 health consultations every year. Most of the requests come from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments.
Public availability sessions are not intended to be large scale public meetings. Instead, community members may drop in any time and meet informally one-on-one with ATSDR staff to discuss health and site concerns and to gather information about ATSDR's activities at the Evans Area. Attendance is open to the public, although individual conversations with ATSDR staff will be confidential.
For More Information: For more information about the meetings or about ATSDR activities in the area, residents can call ATSDR Toxicologist Scott Sudweeks or ATSDR Community Involvement Specialist Dawn O'Connor, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Callers should refer to the "Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Evans Area Site."