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 plans
to prepare a public health consultation on chemical releases from the Keil Chemical
Company site in Hammond, Indiana.
ATSDR was petitioned by Congressman Peter J. Visclosky to assist in addressing two
issues: residents' concerns about children from the area who have been diagnosed with
central nervous system (CNS) cancers, and concerns about whether emissions from Keil
Chemical Company are a threat to public health.
ATSDR representatives have met with local and state health and environmental agencies
to begin their evaluation. ATSDR has requested environmental data from the environmental
agencies and from Keil Chemical Company to review for the preparation of the health
consultation.
The Indiana State Department of Health is reviewing the reported cases of children 14
years and younger with CNS cancers and will provide results of their review to community
members when the review is completed.
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 U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (U.S. EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments.
In preparing public health consultations, ATSDR health assessors rely on various
sources of information. These sources may include: 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 health effects of
chemicals at the site. Reports of community concerns document the public's descriptions of
how the site affects their health.
In addition to the health consultation, ATSDR is making plans to hold a meeting for the
public in July to discuss future agency activities related to the Keil Chemical site and
to listen to health concerns expressed by members of the community. Exact dates, times,
and topics for the meeting will be provided at a later date.
For additional information, contact ATSDR Community Involvement Specialist Loretta
Bush, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). You can also contact Clayton Koher or
Louise Fabinski at ATSDR's Regional Office in Chicago at (312) 886-0840.