ATSDR - Public Health Concern At Department of Energy Sites

Public Health Concerns At
Department of Energy Sites
ATSDR's Public Health Response

Progress Report
October 1998

BACKGROUND

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, or Superfund) of 1980, ATSDR's mission is

to prevent exposure and adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life associated with exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites, unplanned releases, and other sources of pollution present in the environment.

ATSDR was established by Congress to conduct public health assessments at all Superfund sites, including federal facilities, and to conduct any needed follow-up health activities, such as health studies, registries, medical monitoring, and health education. Through its programs and by working with other federal, state, and local government agencies, ATSDR acts to protect public health.

ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) is a federal agency created in 1980 by the Superfund legislation. ATSDR's responsibilities include helping to prevent or reduce exposures to toxic chemicals found in the environment, prevent illnesses that result from any exposure, and expand knowledge about the health effects of exposures to hazardous substances.

CERCLA mandated that ATSDR determine the extent of danger to public health from a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance, establish a National Exposure and Disease Registry, create an inventory of health information on hazardous substances, and determine the relationship between hazardous substance exposure and illness. CERCLA also directed ATSDR to develop a list of hazardous substances found at NPL sites and to prepare toxicological profiles on each of those substances. The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 greatly expanded ATSDR's responsibilities for public health assessments, toxicological databases, information dissemination, and medical education. SARA mandated that ATSDR conduct a public health assessment of all sites proposed for listing on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities List (NPL) and that ATSDR conduct additional follow-up health studies if needed.

This Progress Report highlights the activities and accomplishments of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in addressing public health issues in the communities near Department of Energy sites. These accomplishments could not have been achieved without coordination and collaboration with the community and other groups (i.e., state and local health departments; tribal nations; labor representatives; faculty and graduate students of universities; and the EPA's National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory).