People can minimize their potential exposure to contaminants from the Midnite Mine site by avoiding use of the site for traditional or subsistence activities, according to a report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
The report, known as a public health assessment, was finalized in May. ATSDR released a draft health assessment in 2009, and issued the final report last month after responding to public comments on the draft assessment.
The Midnite Mine site is an inactive open-pit mine located on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, WA. The site consists of the mined area and the mining-affected area, which includes haul roads built with gravel from waste rock, and areas to the south of the mine that receive drainage from the mined area, Blue Creek, and groundwater from the mined area. The mined area is currently fenced to keep people and animals away from the mine’s physical hazards and contaminated surface materials.
ATSDR found that coming into contact with site contaminants over a long period of time could harm the health of people who practice traditional or subsistence activities in the mining-affected area. The agency recommends that people avoid using water from site drainages and from Blue Creek for drinking or sweat lodge ceremonies, eating plants or roots that grow in the area, and eating fish from Blue Creek.
ATSDR was unable to determine if there is a hazard from eating meat or organs from, deer or elk, harvested from the mining-affected area, but advises people not to eat the organs, especially the liver or kidneys.
ATSDR is also recommending further testing of fish, plants, and big game at the site for metals and radionuclides.
The public health assessment document is available for review at the following location:
Spokane Tribal College Library
6232 Old School Road
Wellpinit, WA 99040
Phone: 509-258-9202
The document can also be viewed on ATSDR's website at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/pha/index.asp
For more information, please contact:
Maria Teran-Maciver, health communications/community involvement specialist, at 770-488-0720 or toll free at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636),
MTeran-Maciver@cdc.gov, or Steve Richardson, environmental health scientist, at 770-488-0753 or toll free at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636),
srichardson1@cdc.gov.
ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.
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Members of the news media can request an interview by calling the NCEH/ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700 or
e-mail (news media).