ATSDR - Foamex Site in Corry, Pa.

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

ATSDR Releases Public Health Assessment for the Foamex Site in Corry, Pa.

Site Poses No Apparent Health Hazard

For Immediate Release: March 16, 2004

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, today released its final public health assessment (PHA) for the Foamex Corporation site in Corry, Pa.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had requested that ATSDR evaluate air-sampling data to determine whether air emissions from the Foamex Corporation facility presented a public health hazard to students, faculty and staff of Corry Area Middle-High School and nearby residents. Foamex manufactures high-density foam products at its Corry facility. The Corry Area Middle-High School is located approximately 2,800 feet from the Foamex facility.

A previous ATSDR health consultation discusses the background and issues of the Foamex facility. That consultation also reviewed the EPA Environmental Response Team's (ERT) sampling results of monitoring around the site from April 17-20, 2000. At the time, ATSDR could not make definitive health conclusions about methylene chloride and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) exposures because of a lack of data on plant production cycles and the small number of samples taken in the community. ATSDR recommended that EPA conduct additional sampling for methylene chloride and TDI in the residential areas northwest, west and southwest of the plant. ATSDR also recommended that samples be collected inside the school.

This PHA evaluates two follow-up air sampling studies conducted by the ERT. The first study collected samples on July 17 and July 18, 2001. The second study collected samples on June 11, 2003.

On the basis of data from three separate ERT studies, methylene chloride emissions from the Foamex facility pose no apparent public health hazard to students, faculty or staff at Corry Middle-High School or to residents near the facility. Therefore, ATSDR recommends no further public health actions for this site.

The public health assessment is available for review at the following repository:

Corry Public Library
117 W. Washington St.
Corry, PA 16407

For more information, community members can contact Environmental Health Scientist James Durant or Community Involvement Specialist Januett Smith-George, toll free, at 1-888-422-8737. Regional Representative Charles Walters also may be contacted at 215-814-3139.

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.

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Members of the news media can request an interview with ATSDR staff by calling Jennifer Sarginson or Jill Smith in the ATSDR Office of Communication at 404-498-0070.

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Updated by R. Searfoss March 16, 2004
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
1-888-422-8737 or e-mail (public inquiries)
404-498-0080 or e-mail (news media)