Tanapag Health Clinic closes its doors

The Tanapag Health Clinic has officially stopped its operation last week after a total of 1,182 residents have already sought medical evaluation in connection with the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the village.

According to Dr. Richard Brostrom, chief of the medical team, the decision to close down the clinic was due to the lack of federal funding to support the physicians coming from the U.S. mainland.

However, Dr. Brostrom said former residents of Tanapag who failed to avail of the medical evaluation and would like to have themselves tested for PCB may still drop by the clinic to list down their names for a scheduled health examination.

“If we get enough number of people, we will then open the clinic again for a day,” he said, adding that the medical team has already reached its target number.

The staff from the Department of Public Health are still arranging the data for analysis, separating the diabetic and hypertension cases for hospital referrals. Federal assistance on data analysis of the medical results gathered will be sought by the medical team.

The Office of Insular Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Interior has provided funding for the stay of five doctors — four form the U.S. Public Health Services and two from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

The clinic started operation May 8, 2000 to evaluate the health condition of all residents and those who lived in Tanapag village for a total of three years from 1968 to the present or whose mother lived there while pregnant.

Two blood samples have been taken from the residents. One was subjected to 22 different types of tests which include liver, kidney, blood sugar and cholesterol. This was sent to Guam for analysis.

The other tube will be for PCB testing and shipped to the US mainland for analysis in a laboratory that specializes in the toxic chemical. Results of the blood tests will be provided in about two months.

Preliminary results of the health evaluation show that a great number of the village residents are suffering from hypertension and diabetes, common diseases on the island.

An exposure history was conducted on each patient to determine the extent of exposure to the highly toxic chemical.

PCB contamination in the village began when an unknown quantity of capacitors containing PCBs were shipped to Saipan in the 1960s. The Division of Environmental Quality was only notified about their presence in Tanapag village in 1988.

These electrical capacitors were used as barricades, boundary markers, road blocks for driveways, windbreaks for barbecue sites and headstones. Some capacitors were found broken open as their inner phenolic linings were used to decorate rooftops and cemeteries in the village.

The U.S. EPA has taken samples from soil, sediments, ground water and food taken in the village to determine whether there is still high level of PCB contamination in Tanapag.