The Strike Team prepared 28 written health
consultations in fiscal year 2000. The majority
of the requests came from EPA. Implementing
the Strike Team's recommendations has allowed
EPA to
continue remediation activities without
relocating residents in some cases
be responsive to residents extremely con-
cerned about the health effects of emissions
from a hazardous waste incinerator
incur decreased remediation costs while still
acting in the best interest of the public's
health.
Following is an example of a site for
which ATSDR provided a health
consultation in fiscal year 2000.
Metallic Mercury
Exposures, Illinois
In July 2000, a private citizen notified the
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
and ATSDR that metallic mercury had been
found in the basement of a home after the
Metallic mercury
removal of an indoor natural gas meter that was
equipped with a mercury pressure regulator
and cleaning affected residences, providing
(shown on next page). Approximately 1 week
urine testing, relocating residents, reimbursing
before the call, a gas company had removed
affected residents for expenses, and providing
mercury regulators from that home and from
the opportunity for stress counseling.
other homes in the neighborhood.
About 500,000 residences were potentially
ATSDR and EPA determined that many resi-
affected, including some homes where mercury
dences in the Chicago area might be contami-
regulators had been removed more than 10 years
nated with mercury at levels that could cause
previously. ATSDR developed guidance on
acute or long-term health effects in unborn
action levels and on residences that should be
infants and children. In response to concerns
prioritized for testing because of possible
adverse effects on children and unborn infants.
Attorney General's office formed a mercury task
EPA developed clean-up levels that were based
force consisting of federal, state, and local
on ATSDR recommendations.
health and environmental agencies, along with
other interested agencies. The gas companies
developed a protocol for identifying, testing,
IDPH evaluated the mercury sampling data after
22 chapter 1