DPH assures medical testing of Tanapag residents

Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez yesterday assured Tanapag residents that the planned medical evaluation will push through despite uncertainty in sources of funding.

A team of medical personnel from the government and the private sector will conduct a health evaluation to find out the local people’s level of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl’s (PCBs).

However, the first batch of village residents who will give blood samples for PCB examination would depend on their exposure history to PCB. “Money should not be an issue. If we make it as a main problem, then we will never get things going,” he said.

It will be the first time that a medical evaluation will be conducted by the CNMI government among Tanapag residents after more than two decades of PCB exposure.

A clinic in the village where the physical examination will be held is expected to be completed this month. Mr. Villagomez estimates that some 3,000 residents would undergo health evaluation.

“We have to follow a system on how to do the testings in a very methodical way. But first, we will be ranking them from 1 to 10. If it shows that 9 and 10, which are the highest ranks based on exposure history have very low level of PCB in their blood, then maybe we will no longer conduct further testings,” Mr. Villagomez said.

The laboratory analysis on the blood samples will be conducted in the U.S. mainland since there is no facility here capable to make the evaluation. Blood analysis will cost $300 each.

He said the department would like to take this opportunity to provide health care to people in Tanapag village, many of whom may have not seen a doctor for many years.

“People who would be coming to the clinic may be complaining of diseases which are not related to PCB at all. It is alright, we will still attend to them. If it will take us a year to do this, then so be it. We will not be hastening the process,” the DPH chief said.

DPH is seeking a $500,000 funding from the Legislature to conduct PCB medical testing of Tanapag residents which will be used primarily to cover the payment for blood analysis and services of private doctors who will assist in the health evaluation.

The medical team has been trained by Dr. Gershon Henoch Bergeisen from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has demanded that the federal government share in the cost of the medical testings since an undetermined number of transformers which contained PCBs were brought to the island by the U.S. Department of Defense.