Health Risks from Toxic
Sites and Taking Action
O
ne of ATSDR's primary goals is to
health studies to be conducted, or for a public
evaluate human health risks from toxic
health advisory to be issued to recommend
sites and to take action in a timely and
immediate actions to prevent exposure.
responsive public health manner. ATSDR's
Helping ATSDR carry out health assess-
public health assessments, consultations, and
ments and related activities are 31 states, the
related activities play a key role in achieving
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Gila
this goal. ATSDR's health assessment activities
River Indian Community, which have coopera-
help identify people who potentially have been
tive agreements with the agency to conduct
exposed to hazardous substances in the environ-
health assessments and related activities. During
ment and help determine whether those people
might be at risk of adverse health effects. The
agreement partners performed more than 1,481
activities that are part of the health assessment
health assessment activities.
process also are often the trigger for a variety
Overview of Public Health
In fiscal year 2002,
ATSDR and its partners
A public health assessment is a review of infor-
mation about hazardous substances at a site and
prepared 159 public health
an evaluation of whether exposure to those sub-
assessment documents for
stances at the levels found might harm people.
Public health assessments often include recom-
122 sites. Of those sites,
mendations about actions needed to prevent or
mitigate potential health effects and identify
28.5% were found to pose
any follow-up or additional studies that may be
a public health hazard.
needed at the site to protect public health.
agreement partners prepared 159 public health
of other ATSDR activities and public health
assessment documents for 122 sites. Of those
recommendations. The activities may identify
sites, 28.5% were found to pose a public health
a need for health education in a community, for
hazard. The 122 sites consisted of 88 (72%)
NPL Sites, and 35 (28%) non-NPL sites. (See
chapter 1 17