CHAPTER THREE
Evaluating Relationships Between
Hazardous Substances and Health:
Conducting Health StudieS
A
TSDR conducts and supports health
studies to evaluate the relationship
between exposure to hazardous sub-
stances and adverse health effects. Many of
these studies have focused on seven priority
health conditions ATSDR identified as the
health conditions considered to be most sensi-
tive to exposures to hazardous substances.
These are birth defects and reproductive disor-
ders, cancer, immune function disorders, kidney
dysfunction, liver dysfunction, lung disease, and
neurotoxic disorders. ATSDR also conducts
studies to evaluate how people become exposed
to hazardous substances.
Pediatric neurobehavioral testing
In 2000, ATSDR completed five health studies.
10 micrograms per deciliter, the level of
Of these, two had findings related to exposure to
health concern. The basin area is contami-
hazardous substances, and two had health-
nated with lead from a century of mining
related findings. One study had findings related
activities.
to both exposure and health. ATSDR also
A study of exposure to toluene diisocyanate
continued several surveillance activities in fiscal
from a foam manufacturing facility in North
year 2000, including its surveillance of hazard-
Carolina identified children with clinical
ous spills and releases in a number of states.
evaluations and symptoms consistent with
Following are some of the findings from studies
asthma in numbers greater than expected for a
and surveillance activities completed in fiscal
community of similar size.
year 2000.
The Kalamazoo River Angler's survey
One additional activity of significance initiated
demonstrated that people who ate fish from
during fiscal year 2000 was the medical evalua-
that river had significantly higher residue
tion of people exposed to asbestos-contaminated
levels of total PCBs and DDE than people
vermiculite in Libby, Montana. More than 6,000
who did not eat the fish. This finding is
people were provided medical testing, including
consistent with other studies performed under
spirometry (which measures the breathing
the Great Lakes Research Program.
capacity of the lungs) and chest x-rays (which
In the Coeur d' Alene Basin of Idaho, about
can identify changes in the lungs and the lining
15% of children under 6 years of age were
of the lungs that may be the result of asbestos
identified with blood lead levels higher than
exposure).
chapter 3 39
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