ATSDR used environmental information from both sites to analyze data and develop exposure scenarios and conclusions for the two Formerly Used Defense sites (FUDS). At Gambell, ATSDR found adults and children might be injured by coming in contact with buried metal debris that rises to the surface of the ground after freeze-thaw events. ATSDR found no health hazard from the public drinking water, or if residents have contact with surface soil or gravel.
At the Northeast Cape FUDS, which is currently used as a Tribal seasonal fishing camp, ATSDR found no health hazards related to eating greens and berries year-round, eating fish seasonally (3 months), or if camp users have contact with area soil and surface water.
The two FUDS were in use by the US Department of Defense as satellite communications stations. The Gambell station was in use from 1948 to the 1960s. The Northeast Cape station was in use from 1957 to 1972. The military facilities were left in place until the 1980s when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began conducting environmental investigations and cleanup of the FUDS.
To read a copy of the reports, visit Native Village of Savoonga IRA Council and the Native Village of Gambell IRA Council or online at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/HCPHA.asp?State=AK.
For more information, call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) and request information about the health consultation(s): Health Consultation: Evaluation of Environmental Exposures at the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) in the Native Village of Gambell, Alaska and Health Consultation: Northeast Cape Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.
ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.
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Release Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022
ATLANTA, GA – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released the report for the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure assessment (EA) conducted in Moose Creek, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, near Eielson Air Force Base.
Release Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) announced today the initiation of an exposure assessment in Moose Creek, Alaska, in Fairbanks North Star Borough (AK) near Eielson Air Force Base. The purpose of the exposure assessment is to provide information to the community members about the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their bodies and provide information about exposures in the broader community.
Release Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
ATLANTA - The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has completed a health consultation requested by the Alaska Native villages of Port Graham, Nanwalek, Seldovia, and Tyonek in the Cook Inlet area of Alaska. Village residents asked for the health consultation to find out whether eating Alaska Native traditional foods could harm people's health.
Release Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2007
A report released by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) concludes that, overall, the communities surrounding Elmendorf Air Force Base (EAFB) in Anchorage, Alaska, have not been exposed to base-related contaminants at levels considered harmful to human health.
Release Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Communities surrounding the Eielson Air Force Base (EAFB) outside Fairbanks, Alaska, have been exposed to no contaminants from base materials released into the environment at levels considered harmful to human health, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In a newly released report, the agency addresses the concerns of on-base anglers’ potential exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish captured from the Garrison Slough, and to fuel-related and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the groundwater.
Release Date: Monday, October 27, 2003
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today is issuing the final public health assessment on the Fort Wainwright site in Fairbanks, Alaska. The purpose of this public health assessment is to evaluate potential sources of contamination associated with Fort Wainwright and to identify potential exposure pathways in the surrounding communities. The most common contaminants at the base are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and petroleum, oils and lubricants.
Release Date: Thursday, September 11, 2003
In ATSDR's public health consultation issued for the Galena Airport site in Galena, Alaska, the agency did not identify issues that pose an imminent public health threat. The health consultation outlines environmental issues and health concerns that will be evaluated by ATSDR in a future public health assessment (PHA).
Release Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2003
The public has from Aug. 13 through Sept. 12 to comment on a public health assessment of the Fort Wainwright site in Fairbanks, Alaska. ATSDR finds the contaminant substances from post operations present no past, current or apparent future public health hazard.
Release Date: Thursday, March 21, 2002
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today announced the availability of the public comment version of its health assessment for the Naval Air Facility on Adak Island, Alaska.
Release Date: Friday, November 09, 2001
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, announced today the availability of the draft public health assessment for the Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC), Ketchikan, Alaska, for public review and comment.
Release Date: Friday, November 09, 2001
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services, announced today the availability of the draft public health assessment for the Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC), Ketchikan, Alaska, for public review and comment.
Release Date: Tuesday, October 09, 2001
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has awarded a grant to the Alaska Native Health Board (ANHB) to support surveys of the dietary habits of Alaskans who regularly eat traditional foods. The award provides a cornerstone for the ATSDR Alaska Traditional Diet Project, an effort begun in October 2000. The ANHB is developing an oversight committee to assist in soliciting and selecting grantees from among local communities and villages to implement regional dietary surveys. Training will be provided to enable grantees to administer the surveys and compile the data. This effort is one of numerous activities in Alaska that are attempting to determine the impact of environmental contamination on residents.
Release Date: Tuesday, October 09, 2001
ATSDR has awarded a grant to the Alaska Native Health Board (ANHB) to support surveys of the dietary habits of Alaskans who regularly eat traditional foods. The award provides a cornerstone for the ATSDR Alaska Traditional Diet Project, an effort begun in October 2000. The ANHB is developing an oversight committee to assist in soliciting and selecting grantees from among local communities and villages to implement regional dietary surveys.
Release Date: Monday, August 14, 2000
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced today the release of the draft results of the public health assessment for the Alaska Pulp Corporation (APC) site in Sitka, Alaska.