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 release of the draft results of its public health assessment for the Pasminco Clarksville Zinc Plant site (also known as Savage Zinc) in Clarksville, Tennessee.

ATSDR prepared the health assessment in response to a petition from members of the Cumberland Heights Community in Clarksville.

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 (U.S. EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments, concerning actions to protect public health.

Public health assessments rely on three sources of information: environmental data, health data and reports of community concerns. Environmental data detail the chemicals at a site and indicate their potential pathways to reach humans. Health data include reports of injury, disease or death in the community, as well as information on the known human effects of chemicals at the site. Reports of community concerns document the public's descriptions of how the site affects their health and quality of life.

The health assessment will be made available for public review and comment on or about August 3, 1999, at the following repositories:

Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 501 Clarksville, TN 37040-0005 Contact: Jan Woodard at (931) 648-8826 Warioto Regional Library Center 1753-A Alpine Drive Clarksville, TN 37041-0886 Contact: (931) 645-9531 Cumberland Heights Elementary School 2093 Ussery Road South Clarksville, TN 37040 Contact: (931) 648-5695

The public comment period for the health assessment will run from August 3, 1999, through September 2, 1999.

Please send written comments to:

Chief, Program Evaluation, Records and Information Services Branch ATSDR 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mailstop E-56 Atlanta, Georgia 30333

Comments received during the public comment period will be logged and become part of the administrative record for the health assessment. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses will be included in an appendix to the final health assessment. Although names of those who have submitted comments will not be included in the final health assessment, they are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.

Community members seeking information on the procedures or content of the health assessment should contact ATSDR Health Assessor Todd Going, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to the "Pasminco Clarksville Zinc Plant site" when asking to speak with a Health Assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. The ATSDR Regional Representative, Carl Blair, also may be called for information, toll free, at 1-800-241-1754.