CHAPTER ONE: CONDUCTING HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AND CONSULTATIONS
Public Health Advisory
Cushing, Oklahoma
ATSDR issued a public health advisory on March 4, 1999, for the Hudson
Oil Refinery site in Cushing, Oklahoma, because of the site's potential for fire,
explosion, and exposure to hazardous substances. The issuance of the public
health advisory assisted EPA in proposing the Hudson Oil Refinery Site to the
NPL. It also helped EPA obtain necessary funds to continue removal actions
without interruption.
The site is an inactive refinery that produced aviation fuel, diesel fuel,
gasoline, liquid propane gas, coke, and fuel oils for 60 years. The refinery was
shut down in 1982, but chemicals remained stored at the site. Highway 33, the
main highway in Cushing, runs through the site. An estimated 3,485 of
Cushing's 7,218 residents live within a 1-mile radius of the refinery. In
September 1998, EPA initiated emergency removal action of loose asbestos at
the south refinery and began to investigate other hazards at the site.
The public health advisory supported the work being conducted by EPA,
Oklahoma, and Cushing to address public health issues at the site. In the
advisory, ATSDR recommended that EPA continue its emergency removal
actions and decontamination of the site and that Hudson Oil Refinery be
considered for addition to the NPL. ATSDR issued the public health advisory
in response to a request from EPA Region VI regarding hazards at the site and
emergency removal activities. Some containers of hazardous, flammable
chemicals that were stored there were leaking, the advisory noted.
EPA, the city of Cushing, and the Oklahoma Department of
Environmental Quality implemented a number of public health actions in
response to the public health advisory, including
removing asbestos-containing material in the south refinery area,
routinely patrolling the site to prevent trespassing,
providing site-specific health education, and
posting warning signs.
In addition, ATSDR recommended stabilizing site conditions by removing
other chemical and physical hazards. ATSDR also recommended removing,
after EPA emergency actions are completed, asbestos-containing material at the
north refinery area while following strict asbestos abatement guidelines.
Health Consultations
Health consultations provide advice and recommendations on specific,
health-related questions concerning actual or potential human exposure to
hazardous substances or with any other related human health hazards. A
health consultation is often quickly needed to permit mitigation or prevention
of adverse human health effects from exposure to hazardous substances in the
environment.
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