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Following a thorough review of environmental, biological, and health data from the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released its final report today.
ATSDR published four reports between 2001 and 2003 that included recommendations from its earlier investigation of whether past activities of the U.S. Navy had exposed Vieques residents to harmful levels of chemicals. In 2009 the agency began updating its original findings in response to requests from Congress and others.
The review considered
- information about chemicals in air, water, soil, plants, and marine seafood;
- laboratory test results that measured the amount of certain chemicals in residents’ bodies; and
- reports about health conditions, new cancer cases, and deaths.
ATSDR received comments from the public on this report from December 8, 2011 to March 8, 2012. All comments were considered and addressed and are included in Appendix D of the report. The comments did not change ATSDR’s overall findings and recommendations.
Key Findings
- ATSDR’s review of both new and previous data did not find a relationship between military activities and the health of the island’s residents.
- Some residents of Vieques could be exposed to harmful levels of mercury from eating fish, if they frequently eat more than the recommended amounts. The investigation found that most Vieques reef fish contain low to moderate amounts of mercury. The mercury levels are similar to those in marine fish from other parts of the ocean. Mercury is found commonly in fish and is likely from regional environmental sources and not from past military activities.
- Because fish offer many nutritional benefits, women and young children should include in their diets fish or shellfish that are low in mercury, such as reef-caught snapper and parrotfish. ATSDR recommends that pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant eat up to 12 ounces of fish weekly and children younger than age 7 eat up to 4 ounces of fish weekly.
- Data indicate that there could be more people with cancer or that have died from cancer in Vieques when compared to the rest of Puerto Rico. However, limitations on the health outcome data make these findings uncertain and difficult to interpret.
To support improvements in health, ATSDR recommends that scientists and environmental and public health agencies:
- educate the Vieques community about choosing types of fish known to be low in mercury;
- conduct a survey about residents’ fish consumption and other nutritional habits;
- consider a targeted human biomonitoring investigation;
- explore options for monitoring and tracking the number of people on Vieques with asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases.
To view the report visit: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/vieques/index.html
Copies of the report have also been placed at two locations:
Biblioteca Electrónica of Vieques
Calle Carlos LeBrun 449
Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765
Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust
Calle Flamboyan 138
Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765
For more information about ATSDR’s work in Vieques visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/vieques or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636).
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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.