(ATLANTA) - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency, in coordination with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Public Health Department and the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOSH) invites residents and workers to a meeting to share concerns about their health in relation to the Anaconda Copper Smelter Superfund Site.
When:
Thursday, May 10, 2018
1:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (residents and workers can drop-in at any time during these hours)
Where:
Smelter City Senior Citizens Center
(aka Metcalf Senior Citizens Center)
115 East Pennsylvania Avenue
Anaconda, MT 59711
Residents and workers will have the opportunity to meet scientists, ask questions, and discuss health concerns that are possibly related to arsenic and lead exposures. The agencies will consolidate all concerns received and inform the community of the public health actions that will be taken to address those concerns at a future meeting.
Community members who cannot attend, can discuss their health concerns possibly related to exposures by contacting Katherine (Kitty) Basirico, BSB, MPH, Director, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Public Health Department, (406) 563-7863, kbasirico@adlc.us or visiting the Anaconda Deer Lodge Public Health Department, 115 West Commercial Avenue, Anaconda, Montana.
Background
In 1882, the Anaconda Company Smelter began operations and continued to process ore from the Butte area (e.g., Berkley Pit) until 1981. Slag and other smelter related waste material was disposed in and around Anaconda. Airborne contaminants from dust or precipitation also resulted in wide spread surface soil contamination. The primary contaminants of concern are arsenic and lead. In 1983, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed the 300-square-mile area Anaconda Company Smelter site on the National Priorities List (NPL).
In its role evaluating the health effects of Superfund sites, ATSDR authored several documents related to the Anaconda Copper Smelter Superfund site. For the most recent 2007 document, visit: Anaconda Company Smelter Health Consultation.
For more information about the Anaconda Copper Smelter Superfund Site, contact CDC-INFO at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) or www.cdc.gov/info or visit www.atsdr.cdc.gov.
For members of the media, a media availability session will be held from 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
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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 of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.