ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Releases Health Consultation on Amoco Oil Co. Site in Sugar Creek

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2004

ATLANTA - Exposure to site-related contaminants at the Amoco Oil Co. site in Sugar Creek, Mo., does not exist at levels high enough to pose public health risks to nearby residents, says the public health consultation released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

ATSDR concluded that exposure to on-site surface water and sediment is not expected to cause harmful health effects for workers and trespassers. ATSDR also concluded that intermittent exposures to off-site surface water and sediment are not a public health threat to residents living in Sugar Creek. Cleanup activities in the Norledge area should also result in a decrease of contaminants in the future.

At the request of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, ATSDR evaluated the public health significance of surface water and sediment sampling data from areas on and near the Amoco site, a former petroleum refinery. Residents of the Norledge neighborhood of Sugar Creek were concerned that contaminants from the refinery could be adversely affecting their health and environment.

The health consultation previously was made available to the public for review and comment. The final version includes the comments made by members of the public and ATSDR's responses to the comments. The health consultation is available at:

Sugar Creek City Hall
103 S. Sterling St.
Sugar Creek

Sugar Creek Library
102 S. Sterling St.
Sugar Creek

For more information, community members can contact Environmental Health Scientist Danielle Langmann or Health Communication Specialist LaFreta Dalton, toll-free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Denise Jordan-Izaguirre also may be contacted at 913-551-1310.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.

Established by Congress in 1980 under the Superfund law, ATSDR conducts public health assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned. Headquartered in Atlanta, ATSDR is staffed by more than 400 health professionals including epidemiologists, physicians, toxicologists, engineers and public health educators.

###

Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling the ATSDR Office of Communication at 404-498-0070.