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 an addendum to the agency's Public Health Assessment for the Amoco Oil Company site in Sugar Creek, Missouri.

ATSDR released the original public health assessment for public comment in May 1999; however, insufficient air data were available at that time to determine whether residents in the Norledge area are chronically exposed to elevated levels of benzene in their homes. This public health assessment addendum evaluates additional air data collected in June, July, and October 1999.

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 also identify other activities that might be needed to better understand the health effects associated with the site. Public health assessments also 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.

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 addendum to the public health assessment will be available for public review and comment beginning April 10, 2000, at the following repositories:

Sugar Creek City Hall
103 S. Sterling Street
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 252-4400

Sugar Creek Library
102 S. Sterling Street
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 701-3645

The public comment period for the health assessment will run from April 10 through June 30, 2000

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 document. Although names of those who have submitted comments will not be included in the final 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 Community Involvement Specialist Perstephanie Thompson, 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) 551-1310 in Kansas City.