ATSDR will conduct an open house in Nitro, West Virginia, on Tuesday, January 23, 2001. The purpose of the open house is to provide community members with an opportunity to discuss any health concerns they have about dioxin contamination in the Kanawha River Valley.

The open house will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in Room 111 of the Nitro Seniors Community Center, at 302 21st Street in Nitro. Members of the community are welcome to drop in at any time during the session to talk one-on-one with public health staff.

ATSDR will also provide a brief presentation on the health effects of dioxin. The presentation will be given at 3:00 p.m., and repeated at 7:00 p.m., in the Nitro City Council Chambers Municipal Court Room. Attendance is open to the public; however, individual conversations with the ATSDR staff during the session will be confidential.

ATSDR is a federal public health agency which is responsible for preventing or reducing the harmful effects of exposure to hazardous substances on human health and quality of life.

Community members with additional questions or those who cannot attend the meeting can contact ATSDR Regional Representative Lora Siegmann Werner at (215) 814-3141 in Philadelphia for more information. ATSDR Community Involvement Specialist Dan Holcomb can also be called for information. He can be reached, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737), extension 6064.