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 public comment version of its health assessment for the Basin Mining Area site in Basin, Montana.

The Basin Mining Area was proposed for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities-or Superfund-List in 1999, because of widespread contamination related to past mining activities. ATSDR prepared this public health assessment for the site as required under the agency's Congressional mandate.

ATSDR reviewed available environmental data and community health concerns to determine whether adverse health effects are possible. Based on this evaluation, ATSDR concluded that soil arsenic concentrations in the town of Basin are high enough to cause an increased risk of cancer for residents with long term exposure. ATSDR considers soils in Basin to present a public health hazard. In addition, the public health assessment recommends actions to prevent, reduce, or further identify the possibility for site-related adverse health effects.

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 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 health assessment will be available for public review and comment on or about February 2, 2001, at the following repository:

Boulder Community Library
202 South Main Street
Boulder, Montana
Contact: Ms. Cynthia Kreizwald at (406) 225-3241

The public health assessment can also be viewed at EPA's Website at: http://www.basinou1.com. The public comment period for the health assessment will run from February 2 through March 5, 2001.  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 Health Assessor Jill Dyken, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737), or by e-mail at: jdyken@cdc.gov. Callers should refer to the "Basin Mining Area site" when asking to speak with a Health Assessor in the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. ATSDR Regional Representative Dan Strausbaugh, also may be called for information at (406) 444-2959 in Helena, Mont.

For more information about the health effects of arsenic exposure, check the fact sheet for arsenic on the ATSDR Website. Go to http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov and click on ToxFAQs.