In 1998, ATSDR entered into cooperative agreements with local health departments in six Showcase Communities.
The RIDOH was awarded an additional grant by ATSDR to enhance their participation in brownfields decisions and
actions. The grant funded the development of a low-barrier, community-focused educational tool to provide
information on brownfields and opportunities for community involvement in the process. This information was
published, made available on the Internet, and served as the basis of several brownfields community training sessions
in Providence. The purpose of these programs is to help local health departments develop and implement strategies
that ensure remediation and redevelopment efforts will not present environmental public health hazards to the
communities.
Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
ATSDR provides financial and technical support to members of the Association of Occupational and Environmen-
tal Clinics (AOEC) to improve education and communication related to surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, and
prevention of illness or injury related to exposure to hazardous substances. The Occupational and Environmental
Health Center, Providence, is the AOEC member institution in the state.
Health Studies
Health studies are conducted to determine the relationship between exposure to hazardous substances and adverse
health effects. They also define health problems that require further investigation through mechanisms such as a health
surveillance or epidemiologic study. Following is an example of a health study being conducted in Rhode Island.
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) System - The Hazardous Substances
Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system was established by ATSDR in 1990 to collect and analyze
information about releases of hazardous substances that require remediation according to federal, state, or local
law, as well as threatened releases that result in a public health action, such as an evacuation. The goal of HSEES
is to reduce the morbidity and mortality experienced by first responders, employees, and the general public,
resulting from hazardous substances emergencies. A total of 16 state health departments (including Rhode
Island) were awarded cooperative agreements to accomplish these activities. HSEES captures data on more than
5,000 events annually. The HSEES system generates information for states to use for the following activities: (1)
conduct presentations to plan prevention strategies to industries (such as agriculture) that account for a significant
number of spills, (2) conduct Hazardous Materials (HazMat) training courses, including data on the risk of injury
from methamphetamine labs, (3) establish and maintain protection areas for municipal water systems, (4) assist
with the proper placement of HazMat teams, (5) develop fact sheets on frequently spilled chemicals or chemicals
(such as chlorine and ammonia) that cause a disproportionate number of injuries, (6) develop newsletters to
industry and responder and environmental groups, and (7) conduct presentations for state and local emergency
planners.
Toxicological Profiles
ATSDR develops toxicological profiles that describe health effects, environmental characteristics, and other
information for substances found at NPL sites. These profiles also describe pathways of human exposure and the
behavior of toxic substances in environmental media such as air, soil, and water. In the past 5 years a number of
these toxicological profiles have been sent to requesters, including representatives of federal, state, and local health
and environmental departments; academic institutions; private industries; and nonprofit organizations, in
Rhode Island.
If you would like additional information, contact ATSDR toll-free at (888) 42ATSDR,
that is, (888) 422-8737 or visit the homepage at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov
March 2003
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