The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today announced that the agency's ombudsman has released his report regarding agency activities related to the Stauffer Chemical site in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

In response to requests from residents, citizen groups in the Tarpon Springs area, and Congressman Michael Bilirakis, the ATSDR ombudsman reviewed agency activities at the site. Some residents felt that documents previously prepared by ATSDR and the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) regarding health effects related to contamination around the site were incomplete and did not adequately address community concerns. FDOH worked with ATSDR under a cooperative agreement.

The ATSDR ombudsman serves as an independent resource available to all parties, including private citizens, citizen advocacy groups, corporations, and local, state and federal government entities who have environmental health concerns involving ATSDR, who feel that they are not being heard, and who have exhausted all other resources. The ombudsman can undertake an independent fact-finding investigation of governmental decisions as well as a nonjudgmental assessment of each party's expectations.

The resulting written report which outlines the facts and the ombudsman's recommendations is then presented to the ATSDR Assistant Administrator and made available to the public.

ATSDR Ombudsman Ronnie Wilson conducted a year-long review of the agencies' work at the site. The ombudsman's report, which was presented to the agency in a meeting in Tarpon Springs on Thursday, January, 11, 2001, details his findings, some of which include:

• The 1993 preliminary public health assessment (PHA) was produced without gathering and considering all the available data. The public health assessment needs to be updated.

• Since the public health assessment was completed, a great deal of new data has been produced and is now available for consideration.

• Air emissions from the plant were a community concern from the time the plant opened in 1947.

• Some of the materials used in the public health education efforts contained errors and inaccurate statements, and none were prepared in Greek, the native language of a segment of the local population.

• Large amounts of raw fibrous asbestos were used in operations at the plant and have not been accounted for. Its potential impact on the health of the community needs to be evaluated.

• Private wells in the area around the site are more prevalent than previously thought. Additional testing of wells is required to determine health impacts.

• The public perceives issues related to off-site slag contamination in Tarpon Springs to have been handled inconsistently with similar contamination at other sites.

Copies of the complete report will be available for review on January 12, 2001, at the following repository:

For more information about the report, or to obtain a copy, please contact ATSDR Ombudsman Ronnie Wilson, toll free, at 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737).