Notices to Readers
ATSDR/National Governors' Association Report on Closed and
Restricted Toxic Sites
The National Governors' Association (NGA), through a
cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR), will release a report this month on the
NGA's third biennial survey of sites closed or restricted to the
public because of contamination by toxic substances. The report,
"Restrictions Imposed on Contaminated Sites: A Status of State
Actions" (1), describes the affected environmental media (i.e.,
land, groundwater, and surface water), types of contaminants, and
nature of restrictions at 1705 sites nationwide.
The survey found that 69% of site restrictions pertained to
groundwater use, particularly for drinking water supplies; 19%
involved surface water contamination. Sixteen percent of the
sites had both groundwater and land area contamination, and 6%
were contaminated in all three media. At 741 of the groundwater
sites, state agencies closed 7479 wells. Contaminants found most
often in the reported groundwater sites varied by region, i.e.,
solvents in the industrialized northeast, pesticides and solvents
in the more agricultural midwest, and ethylene dibromide (a grain
fumigant) in the agricultural south.
Organic chemical pollution was found at 1306 (77%) of the 1705
sites; inorganic chemicals, at 618 (36%); petroleum products, at
163 (10%); and radionuclides, at 60 (4%). The five most common
contaminants were trichloroethylene (221 sites), polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) (193 sites), lead (157 sites), benzene (148
sites), and perchloroethylene (108 sites).
The NGA survey counts only sites where state agencies have
acted to protect the public from threats of toxic exposure;
therefore, the NGA list may exclude highly contaminated Superfund
sites that have little potential to expose human populations and
include other sites with relatively low levels of contamination
that could affect the health of nearby communities.
For further information on the survey and report, or to obtain
copies, contact Policy Analyst, National Governors' Association,
444 North Capitol Street, Washington, DC 20001.
Reported by: B Wells, National Governors' Association. Div of
Health Education, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry.
Reference
Wells B. Restrictions imposed on contaminated sites: a status
of state actions. Washington, DC: National Governors'
Association, 1990.
Disclaimer
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**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.
