Media Announcements

ATSDR and Its State Health Partners Issue Public Health Consultations for National Asbestos Exposure Review Sites

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is releasing public health consultations and fact sheets for the "Phase 1" sites. In the first phase of the review, 28 priority sites are being evaluated. These sites, referred to as the “Phase 1” sites, were selected on the basis of the following criteria:

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated further action at the site on the basis of current contamination at the site, or
• The site was an exfoliation facility that processed more than 100,000 tons of Libby vermiculite.

As of September 22, 2005, ATSDR and state health partners have released 21 out of 28 public health consultations for the sites. The major findings are consistent for many of the sites, mainly:

• Former workers are most at risk for asbestos exposure.
• Those that lived with former workers while Libby while vermiculite was being processed at the plants could have been exposed to asbestos by workers carrying home asbestos fibers on their hair and clothing.

Public health consultations, fact sheets and media announcements are available for specific sites in the following cities:

• Beltsville, MD
• Dallas, TX
• Dearborn, MI
• Denver, CO
• Ellwood City, PA
• Glendale, AZ
• Honolulu, HI
• Marysville, OH
• Minneapolis, MN
• Minot, ND
• New Castle, PA
• New Orleans, LA
• Newark, CA
• Omaha, NE
• Phoenix, AZ
• Portland, OR (N. Suttle Road)
• Santa Ana, CA
• Spokane, WA
• Tampa, FL
• Trenton, NJ
• Weedsport, NY
• West Chicago, IL
• Wilder, KY

These pages provide additional information:

• ATSDR Asbestos Web Site

Members of the news media may request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling ATSDR's Office of Communication at 404-498-0070.

Top of Page