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 its draft health consultation for the North Belmont PCE site in Belmont, North Carolina.
The North Belmont PCE site is located in a residential area of North Belmont. The site was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) in April, 1999, because of contaminated groundwater caused by chemicals which are believed to have come from two dry-cleaning establishments in the area.
ATSDR prepared the health consultation to address the nature and extent of the Tetrachloroethylene-also known as Perchloroethylene or PCE-and Trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in the ground water beneath the site.
ATSDR will hold an open house community meeting on August 25, 2000, for residents living near the North Belmont PCE site to discuss the health consultation with ATSDR representatives, and to talk about their health concerns related to the site. The open house will be held at the North Belmont Elementary School, 210 School Street, Belmont, NC. Residents are invited to stop by anytime from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. to talk one-on-one with ATSDR staff.
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
The health consultation will be available for public review and comment on or about August 25,2000, at the following repository:
Gaston County Public Library
Belmont Branch
111 Central Avenue
Belmont, NC 21012
The public comment period for the health consultation will run from August 25 until September 26, 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 consultation. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses will be included in an appendix to the final health consultation. Although names of those who have submitted comments will not be included in the final health consultation, they are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.
PCE is a manufactured chemical used for dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Information on the health effects related to exposure to PCE is available from the ToxFAQs section of the ATSDR Web site at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov.
Community members seeking information on the procedures or the content of this health consultation should contact ATSDR Health Assessor Wayne Hall, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to the "North Belmont PCE site" when asking to speak with a Health Assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. For questions about the open house, contact Perstephanie Thompson, ATSDR community involvement specialist, at the toll free number, or call the ATSDR Regional Representative, Benjamin Moore, at (404) 562-1784 in Atlanta.