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 draft Public Health Assessment for the Amoco Oil Company site in Sugar Creek, Missouri.

ATSDR prepared this public health assessment to determine whether there is a public health hazard posed by human exposure to offsite groundwater, soil, soil gas, and air in the Norledge area of Sugar Creek. Community members expressed concerns about chemical releases in this area which borders the south side of the Amoco site.

This public health assessment reports information about hazardous substances in the environment and evaluates whether exposure to those substances could harm people in the area. This report identifies public health activities that might be needed and makes 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.

In preparing public health assessments, 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 can 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 and quality of life.

The draft public health assessment will be available for public review and comment beginning May 21, 1999 at the following repositories:

The public comment period for the draft public health assessment will run from May 21 through June 20, 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 public health assessment. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses will be included in an appendix to the final document. Although names of those who have submitted comments will not be included in the final public health assessment, they will be subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.

Community members seeking information on the procedures or the content of this public health assessment should contact ATSDR Health Assessor Danielle Langmann, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to the "Amoco Refinery site" when asking to speak with a Health Assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. The ATSDR Regional Representative, Denise Jordan-Izaguirre, also may be called for information at (913) 551-7692 in Kansas City.