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 final version of its public health assessment for Tyndall Air Force Base (TAFB), near Panama City, Florida.

Based on a review of the available information, ATSDR found that pesticide contamination in fish and sediment in Fred Bayou does not pose a public health hazard for past, current, or future exposure.

Also, ATSDR found that lead in soils at Tyndall Elementary School and lead in drinking water at Bay View Housing do not pose a public health hazard.

Additional information is necessary to determine if exposure from the Wherry Landfill is a concern for past exposure. Current and future hazards at Bay View Housing from Wherry Landfill have been reduced because the homes adjacent to the landfill have been vacated awaiting demolition. ATSDR has recommended, and TAFB has agreed, to gather more information about the landfill.

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 identify health studies or other activities that might be needed and make recommendations to other government agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments, concerning actions to protect public health.

Public health assessments rely on three sources of information: environmental data, reports of community concerns, and toxicological data.

Environmental data detail the chemicals at a site and indicate their potential pathways to reach humans. Reports of community concerns document the public's descriptions of how the site affects their health and quality of life. Toxicological data include information on the known human effects of chemicals at the site. If warranted, public health assessments will include information about disease or death in the community.

The health assessment will be made available for public review on or aboutAug. 8, 2000, at the following repositories:

Springfield Public Library
408 School Ave.
Panama City, FL 32401
Contact: Frances Wittkopf at (850) 872-7510

Bay County Library
25 W. Government Street
Panama City, FL 32401
Contact: S.B. McQuagge at (850) 872-7500

IRP Engineering Office
Tyndall AFB
119 Alabama Avenue, Building 421, Room 117
Tyndall AFB, FL 32403-5014
Telephone: (850) 283-4354

Comments received during the public comment period have been logged and are now part of the administrative record for the health assessment. Comments (without indication of who made them) and responses have been included in an appendix to the final health assessment.

Community members seeking information on the procedures or content of the health assessment should contact ATSDR Health Assessor Brian Kaplan, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to "Tyndall Air Force Base" when asking to speak with a Health Assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. The ATSDR Regional Representative, Robert Safay, also may be called for information at (404) 404/562-1782 in Atlanta.