What: 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 the availability of the final version of its public health assessment for the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) in Albany, Georgia. The following is a brief summary of ATSDR's conclusions:

1. ATSDR examined data on soil and groundwater contamination at the base, and concluded that drinking water from the three on-base drinking water supply wells does not pose a past or current public health hazard.
   
2. ATSDR has categorized the Fleming Road neighborhood as an indeterminate public health hazard because additional private well water results are needed. If chemical concentrations in private well samples are found to exceed drinking water standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ATSDR recommends that Fleming Road residences, southwest of the Marine Corps Logistics Base, be connected to the city water supply.
   
3. ATSDR has categorized the off-base groundwater exposure pathway as no apparent public health hazard in the Ramsey Road neighborhood. ATSDR supports continued groundwater monitoring in the Ramsey Road area and recommends the two remaining residences which still have private water wells be connected to municipal water.
   
4. ATSDR concludes that no past, current, or future public health hazards are associated with exposure to contaminated soils at MCLB  because exposure continues to be infrequent, or unlikely, and is detected only at low levels.

When:  The final public health assessment will be available for public review on, or about, October 16, 2001.

Where:  Health assessment will be available for review at the following repositories:

Background: ATSDR released a public health assessment for MCLB on March 30, 1993. At that time, the limited available data did not indicate that people were being, or had been, exposed to levels of contamination that would be expected to cause adverse health effects. Based on a review of available data at that time, ATSDR classified the potential sources of contaminated soil and groundwater as indeterminate public health hazards. ATSDR released an updated Public Health Assessment in April, 2000. This updated public health assessment reexamines potential public health hazards associated with groundwater and soil contamination at MCLB and reflects ATSDR's collection and evaluation of additional environmental data since 1993.

Public health assessments report information about hazardous substances in the environment and evaluate whether exposure to those substances in the past, present or future could harm people in the area. They identify health studies or other activities that might be needed and make recommendations to other government agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments, concerning actions to protect public health.

Comments received during the public comment period have been logged and are now part of the administrative record for the health assessment. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses have been included in an appendix to the final health assessment.

For more information: Community members seeking information on the procedure or content of the health assessment should contact ATSDR Health Assessor, Laura Frazier, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to "the Marine Corps Logistics Base site." ATSDR Regional Representative Benjamin Moore also may be called for information at (404) 562-1784 in Atlanta.

Editors: Members of the news media are requested to make an appointment to interview ATSDR staff: Phone Mike Groutt or John Florence in the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs, at (404) 498-0070.