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Exposure to Tanapag PCBs not a health hazard
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Posted on Sep 16 2004
ATLANTA—Current or past polychlorinated biphenyl contamination does not present a public health hazard now or in the future in Tanapag Village on Saipan, says a report released Wednesday by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
ATSDR is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that evaluates human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.
The study showed no clinical signs of PCB-related illness in Tanapag residents. On average, PCB levels for residents of Tanapag Village were within the background range for the U.S. mainland population not exposed to PCBs through their jobs. (Background level is the average or expected amount of a substance in a specific environment.)
ATSDR’s analysis of the available evidence indicates that PCB contamination had not adversely affected the health of village residents. Contaminated soil has been removed from the village, eliminating a major source of PCB exposure. A small degree of exposure to PCBs may continue if people eat contaminated land crab, but such exposure would be unlikely to pose a health risk.
The report, called a public health assessment, came as a result of a request from the CNMI Department of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate Tanapag residents’ exposure to PCBs, to determine the impact of PCB exposure on public health, and to address community health concerns related to PCB contamination.
The assessment notes that PCBs are primarily in surface soil, in sediment and in locally harvested foods in Tanapag Village due to releases of the chemical from damaged electrical equipment once owned by the military.
