Agency Profile
quartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The agency is
History of ATSDR
staffed by more than 400 health professionals
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
and other staff members who work in Atlanta, in
Registry (ATSDR) is a federal agency that
the agency's Washington office, and in ten
Congress created through the Comprehensive
regional offices throughout the country.
Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), commonly
Mission of the Agency
referred to as the Superfund legislation. Con-
gress enacted Superfund as part of its response
ATSDR's mission is to prevent exposure and
to two highly publicized and catastrophic
adverse human health effects and diminished
events: discovery of the Love Canal hazardous
quality of life associated with exposure to
waste site in Niagara Falls, New York, and an
hazardous substances from waste sites, un-
industrial fire in Elizabethtown, New Jersey,
that released highly toxic fumes into a densely
ATSDR works closely with state, local, and
populated area. Congress created ATSDR to
other federal agencies to reduce or eliminate
implement the health-related sections of laws
harmful health effects that are related to expo-
that protect the public from hazardous wastes
sure to toxic substances at waste disposal and
and uncontrolled releases of hazardous sub-
spill sites.
stances into the environment.
As the lead public health agency responsible for
In 1983, an administrative order of the Secretary
implementing the health-related provisions of
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
CERCLA, ATSDR is charged with assessing
Services (DHHS) established ATSDR as a
health hazards at specific Superfund sites,
separate agency of the Public Health Service. In
helping to prevent or reduce exposure and the
June 1985, ATSDR was formally organized to
illnesses that result, and increasing knowledge
begin to implement provisions of CERCLA.
and understanding of the health effects that may
ATSDR was to work in concert with the Envi-
result from exposure to hazardous substances.
ronmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Cen-
ters for Disease Control (CDC, now the Centers
CERCLA mandated that ATSDR (1) establish a
for Disease Control and Prevention), and the
National Exposure and Disease Registry; (2)
National Institute of Environmental Health
create an inventory of health information on
Sciences.
hazardous substances; (3) create a list of sites
that had been closed or had access restricted
When Congress reauthorized Superfund in 1986
in the Superfund Amendments and Reauthoriza-
medical assistance during hazardous substance
tion Act (SARA), ATSDR received major new
emergencies; and (5) determine the relationship
mandates. By August 1989, the agency had
between hazardous substance exposure and
assumed its current structure. Since 1989,
illness.
ATSDR has received additional non-CERCLA
statutory responsibilities. The agency is head-
Agency Profile 7
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