Vol. 17 Winter - U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

Vol. The 17 JOAG Winter Journal 2011 Page 10Yellow Dust: Confronting the Danger Lurking in aCommunity’s BasementsContributed by LT Racquel Stephenson and LT Elena VaouliFor most of us, our basements are a safe haven for familygatherings, for doing laundry, and for storage. But forsome residents in one Garfield, NJ neighborhood, theirbasements are a health hazard. Groundwater near the ECElectroplating site in Garfield, NJ is contaminated withhexavalent chromium, a carcinogen. The contaminationhas affected a neighborhood of 709 homes and severalcommercial and mixed use properties. The basements ofsome of these properties flood during heavy rains withchromium-contaminated water. When the water recedes,the chromium dries out and leaves a yellow dust that canpose a health risk to persons living in or using the basements.Residents can be exposed to harmful levels ofhexavalent chromium by accidentally swallowing andbreathing in this contaminated dust. The Agency forToxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) issueda Public Health Advisory for the site, which providedresources for expedited clean-up and extensive communityoutreach.LT Stephenson and LT Vaouli were the only junior officerson the ATSDR scientific team that worked to issuethe Advisory. This was a critical move for the Agency,and the first advisory to be issued in 10 years. Advisoriesare issued at sites where there is an imminent healththreat, which is precisely what the residents of Garfieldwere facing. Hexavalent chromium dust concentrationswere very high in some basements, with calculated exposuredoses significantly higher than ATSDR‘s healthguideline comparison values. At these concentrations,residents could experience acute health effects and are atan increased risk for developing cancer. As a result, thesite was characterized as posing an urgent public healthhazard.Pictured: Yellow dust containing hexavalent chromiumLT Stephenson and LT Vaouli conducted technical reviewof the Advisory document, factsheets, and pressreleases. They helped to plan a public meeting, briefingsof federal and local elected officials, press briefings, andhealth education outreach in the community. As a resultof the team‘s efforts, the Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) will propose the site be placed on the NationalPriorities List (NPL). The NPL is the list of themost seriously contaminated sites among the known releasesor threatened releases of hazardous substancesthroughout the United States and its territories. It is intendedprimarily to guide the EPA in determining whichsites warrant further investigation and is part of theSuperfund clean-up process. In Garfield, site remediationwill incorporate short- to mid-term strategies such as waterproofingbasements, as well as long-term strategies toremove hexavalent chromium from the groundwater.Without the issuance of a public health advisory, the residentsaffected by the contaminated groundwater may nothave received the most thorough clean-up remedies available.LT Stephenson and LT Vaouli‘s hard work contributedto the success of a rare public health action byATSDR, and most importantly, achieved the mission ofprotecting, promoting and advancing the health andsafety of a New Jersey community.For more information on the ATSDR advisory and letterhealth consultation for the site visit: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/ec_electroplating/