Health Centers of Arkansas, and Mainline Health
mercury; 30 showed elevated mercury levels.
Systems are local members of MCN.
ATSDR provided test results to the state health
department and the participants. Through a
cooperative agreement between ATSDR and the
Association of Occupational and Environmental
Association of Occupational and Environmental
Clinics (AOEC), ATSDR supports the Center for Pre-
Clinics, those persons with elevated mercury
ventive, Occupational and Environmental Medicine
levels were referred for medical evaluations.
at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Persons with elevated urine mercury levels were
With the establishment of the center in September
monitored for several weeks to ensure that levels
2001, occupational and environmental medicine
were decreasing and that no further exposure
(OEM) represents a new area of specialty for the
occurred. In addition, health education activities
university. The center's director is one of only seven
specifically targeted at high school students
board-certified OEM physicians in the state. The cen-
were conducted in the community. An ATSDR
ter became a member of AOEC in November 2002,
physician participated in these meetings to
and community health education has been one of the
answer any questions about human exposure to
center's main focuses.
elemental mercury.
Health Studies
Health Education and Community Activities
Health studies are investigations conducted to deter-
mine the relationships between exposures to hazard-
ADH has received funding as well as technical
ous substances and adverse health effects. They also
assistance for community health education activi-
define health problems that require further investi-
ties dealing with health issues associated with toxic
gation through, for example, health surveillance or
substances in the environment. Since October 2001,
an epidemiologic study. Following are examples of
86 educational activities have been conducted at
health studies and investigations that ATSDR con-
nine sites in Arkansas. Activities included 21 public
ducted or supported in the state of Arkansas.
meetings or training sessions and the development of
51 educational tools.
Health Outcomes; and Fetal Loss Study:
Recent health education activity conducted by ADH
Jacksonville--In 1991, ATSDR awarded a grant
with support from ATSDR includes work at the Kop-
to ADH to determine whether persons who
pers Industries site. Attention on the Koppers site was
lived near the Vertac site for more than 15 years
first raised through petition by a local neighborhood
have a higher concentration of dioxin, furans,
association concerned about odors and contaminated
chlorophenols, chlorophenol acids, and pesticides
in their bodies than did persons living in a remote
treatment facility. After numerous public meetings,
comparison area. The study also determined
ADH helped form a community assistance panel to
whether the concentration of the tested chemicals
help inform community members of site activities.
increased during the period of waste incineration
ADH developed chemical fact sheets as well as the
Arkansas Citizens Handbook on Superfund Sites and
were obtained in 1991 to determine historic
the Resource Directory for Health Professions and
background levels before the incineration started.
Community Residents.
In 1992, the study was expanded to encompass
three specific activities: (1) completion of the
the Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN), ATSDR
exposure study, which included collection of
provides assistance to health care providers work-
blood and urine specimens and interviews
ing with migrant and seasonal farm workers. MCN,
of participants in the postincineration phase;
the second largest clinical network in the nation,
(2) a health outcomes study using standardized
brings together clinicians from various professions to
questionnaires and collection of additional
meet the needs of migrant and seasonal farm work-
laboratory specimens to look at differences in
ers. CABUN Rural Health Services, Community
self-reported diseases, biomarker values, and self-
reported reproductive outcomes; and (3) a study