Previous Story
Tanapag clinic to operate as regular health center in 2001
|
Posted on Nov 30 2000
The Department of Public Health will hire a nurse and a full-time doctor who will run the Tanapag Health Clinic, which is expected to operate as a regular health center in the first quarter of 2001.
DPH Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said part of the clinic will be turned into a resource center where materials on the health and environmental problems in Tanapag, specifically polychlorinated biphenyl contamination and other toxic chemicals, will be made available.
Mr. Villagomez said the community will also be able to access the Internet to allow them gain additional information on PCB contamination. “We hope to make the clinic fully operational in the first quarter of 2001, depending on the staff that we will be able to hire,” he said.
In addition, the Agency for Substances and Disease Registry will assist DPH in carrying out a disease surveillance system which will monitor cancer cases on the island particularly in Tanapag village.
Tanapag residents claim that many villagers have died of cancer which they claimed may be due to high levels of contamination of polychlorinated biphenyl.
ATSDR will help the department in looking for financial and technical support for DPH. The federal agency has also assisted in providing training on PCB among medical staff at the Commonwealth Health Center and public health education in the community.
Tanapag Health Clinic was originally established for the medical evaluation and blood testing of Tanapag residents in connection with PCB contamination. Results of the blood testing showed very low levels of PCB among residents, including children, in Tanapag.
The U.S. Army Corps and its contractor the Environmental Chemical Corp. are currently undertaking a cleanup of certain areas in the village as well as Cemetery No. 2 where high level of PCB contamination was found.
Treatment of the PCB-contaminated soil is expected to begin early next year using the indirect low thermal desorption process. (LFR)
