ATSDRPublicHealthActivitiesatOakRidgeReservation(19922012)

1992 ATSDRBeginsWork ATSDRreviewsclinicaldataandmedicalhistories (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/oakridge/phact/c_5.html#332)of45patientsintheOakRidgearea.Evidenceis insufficienttoassociatelowlevelsofmetalswithdiseasespresentinthesepatients. 1993 EastForkPoplarCreek ATSDRshealthconsultation(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/east_fork_poplar_creek.html)reaches twoimportantconclusions:1.SoilinafewlocationsalongEastForkPoplarCreek(EFPC)floodplainis contaminatedwithlevelsofmercurythatposehealthconcerns,especiallyforchildren.2.Fisheatenfrequently overlongtimeperiodscouldposeamoderatelyincreasedriskofharmfulhealtheffects. 1995 ATSDRSciencePanelonInorganicMercuryinSoil ATSDRestablishesanindependentexpertpanel(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/oakridge/phact/c_4.html#325) toevaluatethetypeofinorganicmercuryinsoilanditsabilitytobeabsorbedinhumanbodies. 1996 HealthConsultationonMercuryCleanUpLevelsforEFPCFloodplainSoil ATSDRhealthconsultationusesthe1995sciencepanelfindingstoevaluateproposedmercurycleanuplevels fortheEastForkPoplarCreek(EFPC)(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/east_fork_poplar_creek.html) floodplainsoilandconcludesthecleanuplevelswillprotectpublichealth. 1996 HealthConsultationforLowerWattsBarReservoir ATSDRhealthconsultationforLowerWattsBarReservoir (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/watts_bar.html)concludesthattheonlypossiblehealthconcernis consumingpolychlorinatedbiphenyls(PCBs)insomefish;swimmingandrecreationaresafe. 1996 CommunityandPhysicianEducation ATSDRconductshealtheducationprograms (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/other_public_health_activities.html)forresidentsandphysicians abouthealthrisksassociatedwithPCBsinWattsBarReservoirfishandonhealthimpactsofpossiblecyanide intoxicationatK25. 1997 FishAdvisoryPointersBrochure ATSDRworkswiththestateofTennesseeandlocalcommunitygroupstodeveloptheWattsBarReservoirFish AdvisoryPointersbrochure (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/docs/Watts%20Bar%20Reservoir%20Brochure.pdf)[PDF,91KB]asa followuptorecommendationsintheATSDRhealthconsultation. 1997 SciencePanelMembersArticles

MembersofATSDRsciencepanelevaluatinginorganicmercury (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/oakridge/phact/c_4.html#325)inEFPCfloodplainsoilpublishfourarticlesin theInternationalJournalofRiskAnalysisabouttheirfindings. 1998 ExposureInvestigationforPCBsinFish ATSDRconductsanexposureinvestigationtomeasurebloodlevelsofPCBsandmercuryinpeoplewhohave eatenlargeamountsoffishandturtlesfromWattsBarReservoir (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/watts_bar.html).ATSDRconcludesthattheserumPCBlevelsand bloodmercurylevelsinparticipantsweresimilartolevelsfoundinthegeneralpopulation. 19992005 HealthEffectsSubcommittee ATSDRcreatestheOakRidgeReservationHealthEffectsSubcommittee(ORRHES) (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/orrhes_subcommittee.html),21peoplefromthelocalareawhounite communitymembers,civicgroups,andgovernmentagenciestoworkonhealthactivitiesandresearch.ORRHES holds25meetingsand125workgroupmeetingsandprovidesmanyhelpfulrecommendations. 2000 ATSDRUsesOakRidgeHealthStudies NationalexpertsdeterminethatATSDRcanusetheTennesseeDepartmentofHealths(TDOH)OakRidgeHealth StudiesasafoundationforATSDRspublichealthassessments. 20012005 ATSDRFieldOfficeinOakRidge,TN ATSDRestablishesandmaintainsafieldofficeinOakRidge.OfficestaffpromotescollaborationbetweenATSDR andOakRidgeReservationssurroundingcommunities. 2001 EpidemiologyWorkshops ATSDRgivespresentations(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/epidemiology_workshops.html)toexplain epidemiologyandteachORRHESandcommunitymembershowtoreviewandevaluateepidemiologyreports. ORRHESevaluatesanOakRidgecancermortalitystudy,concludesthatitdoesnotshowarelationshipbetween cancerdeathsandradiationexposure,andrecommendsnotusingthestudyinassessments. 20012002 ORRHESEvaluatesNeedforHealthClinic ATSDRguidesORRHES(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/orr/m8_27_02.html#wor)inreviewoffederal programsandlegislationtodetermineifmedicalmonitoringoranenvironmentalhealthcliniccanbe establishedinOakRidgetoserveexposedorillpersons.InAugust2002,ORRHESrecommendsmedical monitoringorestablishmentofanenvironmentalhealthclinicbepostponeduntiltheATSDRpublichealth assessmentprocessidentifiespeopleoffsitewhohavebeenexposedtocontaminantsatlevelsofhealth concern. 2002 ORRHESEndorsesPublicHealthAssessments ATSDRdecidestobuildonTDOHshealthstudies,conductingninepublichealthassessmentsonhazardous substancereleasesthatcausecommunityconcernandrequirefurtherevaluation.ORRHES

(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/orr/m2_11_02p3.html)endorsesATSDRsprocessforchoosing contaminantsandcommunityconcernstoevaluate. 2002 EducationonThyroidDisorders ATSDRsponsorscommunityandphysicianeducationpresentations (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/other_public_health_activities.html)byanationalexpertonthyroid disorders:nodulardiseasesandcancer. 2004 Y12UraniumReleases ATSDRspublichealthassessmentdeterminesresidentslivinginornearthecityofOakRidgewereexposedto pasturaniumreleasesfromtheY12plant (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/y12_uranium_release.html),butlevelsweretoolowtobeahealth hazard.ORRHESconcurswithATSDRsfinding. 2005 TCSAIncinerator ATSDRspublichealthassessmentforToxicSubstancesControlAct(TSCA)incinerator (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/tsca_incinerator.html)determinestheincineratorreleasedtrace levelsofcontaminantsinthepast,buttheamountswerefarbelowthoseassociatedwithhealtheffectsanddo notpresentapublichealthhazard. 2005 CommunityandPhysicianEducation ATSDRsponsorscommunityandphysicianeducation (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/other_public_health_activities.html)presentationsbyanational expertonthecausesofcongenitalmalformationsandcancer,especiallyasrelatedtoradiationexposure. 2006 RadionuclidesReleasedFromWhiteOakCreek ATSDRspublichealthassessmentconcludespast,current,andfutureexposurestoradionuclidesreleasedfrom WhiteOakCreek(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/white_oak_releases.html)intotheClinchRiverand WattsBarReservoirarenotapublichealthhazard.Theamountofexposureiswellbelowlevelsassociatedwith ahealthhazard,andATSDRdoesnotexpectadversehealtheffectstooccur. 2006 OffsiteGroundwaterContamination ATSDRspublichealthassessmentdeterminesthatpeoplewholiveneartheOakRidgeReservationarenot exposedtocontaminatedgroundwater (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/contaminated_groundwater.html)fromtheOakRidgeReservation; therefore,offsitegroundwaterdoesnotposeapublichealthhazard. 2006 CancerIncidenceAssessment ATSDRsassessmentofcancerincidence (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/assessment_cancer_incidents.html)ineightcountiesadjacenttoOak RidgeReservationdoesnotidentifyanyconsistentpatternincanceroccurrence.

2007 CurrentandFutureExposure ATSDRspublichealthassessmentdeterminesthatcurrentandfutureexposures (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/Current%20_Future_Chemical_Exposures_Evaluation.html)toOak RidgeReservationsiterelatedchemicalsinoffsitesoil,sediment,surfacewater,air,andlivingthings(other thanfish)donotposeapublichealthhazard.Theassessmentrecommendscontinuingtofollowcurrentfish consumptionadvisories. 2008 I131ExposurefromX10site ATSDRspublichealthassessmentfindsthatpeoplewhowereatleast21yearsofagelivingneartheOakRidge ReservationduringRadioactiveLanthanum(RaLa)processingfrom19441956arenotexpectedtodevelop thyroiddiseasesfromexposuretoI131fromtheX10site (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/iodine_release.html).NotenoughmonitoringdataexistsforATSDR tostatethepotentialforhealtheffectsinpeoplewhowereyoungerthan18yearsofagewhenexposedtoI131 from1944to1956. 2009 PCBExposures ATSDRspublichealthassessmentconcludesthatfrequentlyeatingmoderatetolargeamountsofcertain speciesoffishisapotentialpublichealthhazard(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/pcb_releases.html) fromPCBexposure,butoccasionallyeatingsmallamountsofthesefishisnot.Theassessmentrecommends continuingtofollowcurrentfishconsumptionadvisories. 2010 RadioactiveMaterialsandFluoridefromK25 ATSDRspublichealthassessmentconcludesthatpastexposurestouraniumhydrogenfluoride,fluoride,and otherradioactivematerials(http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/k25_s50_uranium_releases.html)from 19441995arenotahealthhazard.AcuteexposuretohydrogenfluorideintwocommunitiesnearK25 followingthelargestshorttermoraccidentaluraniumhexafluoridereleasescouldhavecausedtemporary respiratoryirritation. 2012 MercuryExposurefromtheY12Plant ThelastpublichealthassessmentfindsthatcurrentoffsiteexposuretomercuryfromtheY12plant http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/oakridge/mercury_release_at_Y12.html)isnotahealthhazardandthat mercuryexposuresfrom1950s1960smayhavecausedpossiblehealtheffectsinchildren. 2012 FindingsOverTwoDecades ATSDRpublichealthassessmentfindingsindicatethatadditionalepidemiologystudiesormedicalmonitoring areneitherwarrantednorscientificallyappropriate.