ATSDR Releases Final Version of Smithfield Chemical Industrial Dumpsite Public Health Assessment

Providence,  Smithfield,  Rhode Island
Friday, July 09, 1999
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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 Smithfield Chemical Industrial Dumpsite in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

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 on or about July 9, 1999, at the following repositories:

Greenville Public Library
574 Putnam Pike
Greenville, RI 02828
Contact: Dorothy Swain

East Smithfield Public Library
50 Esmond Street
Smithfield, RI 02917
Contact: Maxine Paquette

Community members seeking information on the procedures or content of the health assessment should contact Health Assessor Kimberly Chapman, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to the "Smithfield Chemical Industrial Dumpsite" when asking to speak with a health assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. ATSDR's Regional Representative, Louise House, may also be contacted for information at (617) 918-1491 in Boston.


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Page last reviewed: July 09, 1999
Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry