Spanish Version

Current exposures to VOCs in municipal water are not expected to harm public health, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in its draft public health assessment for the Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination site in Cabo Rojo, PR. Low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been found in some municipal water supply wells, but none of the VOCs measured have exceeded federal drinking water standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet identified the source or extent of the groundwater contamination. ATSDR needs more information:

• to assess potential risks from exposure near source areas and use of private well water, and
• to determine whether vapors from the groundwater could be building up in homes in the area.

ATSDR recommends:

• that EPA continue its efforts to identify the source and characterize the extent of the contamination, and take actions to address and prevent groundwater contamination, and
• that the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority continue frequent monitoring of the wells’ water quality to ensure that the municipal water supply meets federal standards.

The ATSDR report on the Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination site is available for review at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/HCPHA.asp?State=PR. A copy of the report has also been placed at the Biblioteca Blanca E. Colberg Rodríguez, Calle Ruíz Belvis # 48 in Cabo Rojo.

ATSDR welcomes public comments on the Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination Public Health Assessment through January 20, 2012.

Comments received during the public comment period (without the names of who submitted them) and ATSDR's responses to these comments will appear in an appendix to the final public health assessment. Names of those who submit comments, however, will be subject to release in answer to requests made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Send comments to: ATSDRRecordsCenter@cdc.gov, or mail to:

Attention: Rolanda Morrison
RE: Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination
ATSDR Records Center
1600 Clifton Road, NE (MS F-09)
Atlanta, GA 30333

For more information, call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling the NCEH/ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0070.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects due to exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.