ATSDR -- FY 1999 AGENCY PROFILE AND ANNUAL REPORT
homes. Mercury was spilled in the clinic from a damaged sphygmomanometer
(a blood pressure measuring device). Concentrations found in the clinic area
were in excess of the American Council of Governmental Industrial Hygienists'
threshold limit value for industrial locations. ATSDR recommended an indoor
action level and additional precautions to prevent exposure of children and
pregnant women. On the basis of ATSDR's recommendations, Harris County
temporarily closed the clinic and required cleanup of the mercury
New Carlisle Water System, New Carlisle, Ohio: At the request of the
Ohio Department of Health, ATSDR provided a hazard assessment for
inorganic mercury salt found in a drinking water well that was measured at 20
parts per billion, slightly above regulatory levels. Approximately 7,000 people
were served by the water system. The well water became contaminated when a
seal containing inorganic mercury salt broke on a submersible pump used in
the well. The water from the well was added to the output of other wells and
then treated before entering the water system. Residents were temporarily
advised by the state not to use their water for washing, drinking, or cooking
until it could be determined that the mercury was adequately removed by the
treatment process. Because of the form of mercury present initially and the
dilution as it entered the water system, ATSDR concluded that the human
health hazard from the contaminated well was minimal. There was no
detectable mercury in the water after treatment.
Dairy Cattle Fluoride Exposure, Boyertown, Pennsylvania: A dairy herd
in southeastern Pennsylvania became the focal point for a rural community's
concerns regarding excess exposure to fluoride compounds emitted by a
manufacturing facility. EPA confirmed the presence of elevated fluoride levels
in forage crops fed to cattle and requested ATSDR's assistance in investigating
reported dental lesions, lameness, and decreased milk production in the herd.
ATSDR and EPA's Environment Response Team visited the site twice and
observed postmortem examinations of three cows from the herd by
pathologists at the New York Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. An evaluation
of the herd's records for milk production and reproductive efficiency was
performed in consultation with the herd health specialist at the University of
Pennsylvania. After reviewing toxicologic and other data, ATSDR concluded
that the herd had some early signs of excess fluoride body burden. However,
the fluoride body burden was well below levels that would cause fluorosis, a
condition marked by dental lesions, exostoses, and lameness.
Tire Fire, Sycamore, Ohio: At the request of the local health department,
ATSDR reviewed air and surface water sampling data for a large tire fire that
occurred in Sycamore. ATSDR recommended additional air sampling because
data were limited. On the basis of water data, which were more extensive,
ATSDR recommended that a temporary fish advisory be continued. The
Sycamore Tire Dump is one of the largest scrap tire dumps in the eastern
United States.
40