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 a public health assessment for the Anniston PCB Site (also known as the Monsanto Company or Solutia Inc., site) in Anniston, Alabama. The public health assessment was prepared by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) under a cooperative agreement with ATSDR. The assessment was previously released, as a draft for public comment, in November 1999.

The public health assessment evaluated soil and sediment data that was collected under a 1996 consent order between Monsanto Company and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. ADPH reviewed this older data to identify possible pathways of exposure and assess the public health implications of these exposures. Based on this review, the Alabama Department of Public Health concluded that:

• The levels of polychlorinated biphynels (PCBs) found in the soil at two residences pose a public health hazard for children. These are residences which were not cleaned up under the 1996 consent order.
• The levels of PCBs found in surface soil in several areas posed a public health hazard to children in the past. More recent soil samples are currently being reviewed by ATSDR. The agency's conclusions and recommendations will be reported in a future health consultation.

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 recommend activities that might be needed to protect public health. The recommendations are usually made to other government agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and state and local health and environmental departments.

Public health assessments rely on three sources of information: 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 include reports of injury, disease, or death in the community, as well as information on the known human 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 health assessment will be made available for public review on or about May 25, 2001, at the following repositories:

A 60-day public comment period was held for the draft document last year. Both ATSDR and ADPH received and reviewed the comments. Comments (without the identity of who made them) and responses by ADPH and ADPH are included in Appendix C of the final health assessment. The comments have also become part of the administrative record for the health assessment.

Community members seeking information on the procedures or content of the health assessment should contact Cheryl Browder,ADPH Public Health Educator, toll-free at 1-800-201-8208 or Alan Yarbrough, ATSDR environmental health scientist, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737). Callers should refer to "Anniston PCB site."