Savannah River Site
What Is It?

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is located along the Savannah River in South Carolina. The site includes areas of Aiken, Barnwell, and other counties and is approximately 200 miles upstream from Savannah. It was built in 1951 primarily to produce tritium, as well as plutonium. Both materials are utilized in nuclear weapons and are radioactive. Many other radioactive elements are generated in the reactor fuels used to produce tritium and plutonium.

Over its 45 years of operation, large amounts of radioactive materials were processed at the SRS. During this period, some releases of radioactive and hazardous materials occurred and some areas were contaminated. Individual workers and members of the public living near the site may have been exposed to these releases. Therefore, it is important to look into the potential adverse health effects to the surrounding communities and community exposures to SRS-related contamination of area groundwater, soil, and air.

These chemical and radiation releases, together with the potential adverse health consequences, provided the primary impetus in establishing the Savannah River Site Health Effects Subcommittee (SRSHES).

Health Effects
The Potential Issues

Savannah River Site
Health Effects Subcommittee

What is its Mission?
The SRSHES is a representative body of citizens established to advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (specifically, the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) on the adequacy of their health research and public health activities connected with the SRS.

The Subcommittee was created to identify the needs of exposed and potentially exposed persons and to help answer their health related questions. The Subcommittee is a mechanism to seek and provide information—and make recommendations to the federal agencies involved in health research at the site. Who Comprises the SRSHES?

The SRSHES is a non-partisan, independent group of citizens comprised of individuals selected to reflect the demographic diversity of the communities impacted by SRS. The names of these citizens and of State and CDC representatives on the committee are listed at the top of this page.

How You Can Become Involved
What You Can Do

• Get on our mailing list.
• Send us your concerns and questions.
• Share your ideas with us.
• Attend our meetings.
• Let us know what is important to you.

"LEARN AND PARTICIPATE"

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This page last reviewed October 28, 2004

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