The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) today announced that it has completed phase one of its Neurobehavioral Health Study for Dakota City and South Sioux City.
Phase one of the study consisted of collecting household-specific information in order to determine persons who would be eligible to participate in the study. To be eligible for the study, residents must have lived in one of the neighborhoods being studied for a minimum of two years.
Data collectors from the National Opinion Research Corporation (NORC) at the University of Chicago visited a total of 1,169 households in various neighborhoods in early March 2000. They collected information on how long residents have lived in the neighborhoods, and the number and names of adults wholive at each residence.
According to Steve Inserra, ATSDR lead scientist, community acceptance and support for this effort was truly outstanding. Ninety-nine percent of households visited participated in the voluntary door-to-door listing. "We owe our gratitude to the people of Dakota City and South Sioux City," said Inserra.
ATSDR and NORC identified 733 of the 1,169 community households where residents met the minimum 2-year residency requirement to participate in the study. These 733 households represent about 1,360 persons who are eligible for testing.
The next step will be to invite people to participate in the neurobehavioral testing. Invitation will be made by phone call or by mail beginning mid-April 2000.
Neurobehavioral testing involves simple, painless testing of the human central and peripheral (arms, hand) nervous systems.
ATSDR became involved in Dakota City/South Sioux City as a result of an Exposure Investigation the agency conducted in 1997. The Exposure Investigation Report,
released by ATSDR in December 1997, concluded that the community was being exposed to potentially harmful levels of hydrogen sulfide and total reduced sulfur compounds that could result in adverse health effects. ATSDR is conducting the health investigation to examine the relationship between exposure to hydrogen sulfide and adverse health effects.
ATSDR is the principal federal public health agency involved with hazardous waste and toxic substances, and the harmful health effects of exposure.
For more information about the listing or about the healthstudy, contact ATSDR Community Involvement Specialist Ruby Palmer, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Callers should refer to the "Dakota City Health Study." ATSDR Senior Regional Representative Denise Jordan-Izaguirre in Kansas City can also be called for information at (913) 551-1310.