Health Services received a 2-year award in 1990.
investigation released in March 2002 was
twofold: first, to determine whether residents
Project staff developed an information packet, in-
living near the municipal sewage treatment
cluding an overview of environmental health hazards,
(MST) facility in West Louisville are being
a list of possible signs and symptoms of environ-
exposed to hazardous levels of airborne
mental exposure, an environmental exposure his-
hydrogen sulfide; and
tory form, and a list of
second, to determine
resources. This packet
whether experimental
was distributed to 3,190
instruments can detect
primary care physicians
short-term levels of
in the state. Project
hydrogen sulfide. MST
staff also developed
is in Rubbertown, an
case studies for health
industrial area in West
practitioners on selected
Louisville, and the
hazardous substances
duration of hydrogen
and conducted a presen-
sulfide releases are too
tation on environmen-
short to be measured
tally related diseases for
with conventional
physicians.
time-weighted
Health Studies
sampling methods.
Health studies are inves-
Breakthrough area, Martin County coal slurry
Limited air sampling
tigations conducted to
spill in 2000. Photo from the Deparment of Interior determine the relation-
was conducted in
Office of Surface Mining.
the Rubbertown area
ships between expo-
in April 2001. The
sures to hazardous substances and adverse health
effects. They also define health problems that require
samples of the community's ambient air are
further investigation through, for example, health
not expected to pose a public health hazard,
surveillance or an epidemiologic study. Following
are examples of health studies and investigations
on-site may exacerbate respiratory symptoms in
that ATSDR conducted or supported in the state of
children who have asthma and live downwind
Kentucky.
of MST. When hydrogen sulfide was measured
Calvert City Industrial Complex--In 1993,
below levels detected by smell, odors persisted;
ATSDR provided technical assistance to the
therefore, other odorous chemicals (like amines
citizens of Marshall and Livingston counties
and cystine, which are common at waste-handling
in response to a petition for a public health
and wastewater facilities) are present at the MST
assessment. Some residents believed that they
might be suffering from adverse health conditions
the fluorometer instrument identified hydrogen
associated with chemicals used in operations
sulfide sources and successfully characterized
at the BF Goodrich/Airco Superfund site in the
peak exposures. The fluorometer and the
Calvert City Industrial Complex. Approximately
tapemeter used in this exposure investigation
5,600 persons lived within a 4-mile radius of the
provided comparable results, but the tapemeter's
site. ATSDR organized a community assistance
major limitation was its dependence on relative
panel (CAP) composed of area residents. In
humidity.
collaboration with the CAP, ATSDR developed
Health Education and Community Activities
a protocol for the study. Study results were
analyzed in 1994 and the agency released its
gram includes supporting educational activities for
report of the results in 1995. The results showed
physicians, other health professionals, and communi-
no discernible pattern of increase in self-reported
ties about human exposure to hazardous substances
diseases or symptoms in the target population
in the environment. The Kentucky Department for
and no consistent differences in the biomedical
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