Public health advisory

2 Pages·1994·0.1 MB·English

by  Montana. Dept. of Health and Environmental Sciences

s
363.7384 MONTANASTATE LIBRARY
H2PHA AUGUST 18, 1994 PSu3bl6i3c7h3e8a4ltHh2apdhvais1o9ry94/C.I
1994
1 1 || || |
3 0864 0009115?
Public Health Advisory
From the Montana De^a^Ottt^HKalfralii^riVironmental Sciences and the Federal Agency for Toxic
—
crp ^ ftub^tances andDisease Registry
MONTANA STATE LIBRARY
Introduction 1515 E. 6th AVE.
HELENA, MONTANA 59G20
TheMontanaDepartmentofHealthandEnvironmentalSciences (MDHES)isadvisingthe
public to avoid a mine tailings areanearJoslyn andBradystreets onthewestside ofHelena. The
tailings arelocatedadjacenttotherailroadtracksandalsoneartheRyanBallfieldComplex(please
see map). The tailings of greatest concern lie on the north and south sides ofthe railroad tracks.
Recentsamples takenfromthetailingsrevealedexceedinglyhighlevelsofarsenicandhighlevels
of lead. Prolongeddirectcontactwiththetailingscouldbehazardoustohumanhealth. Thepublic
should stay away from the obvious tailings area. The tailings appear as light-colored soils with
littleornovegetationgrowingonthem. OnThursdayandFriday,August18and19,MDHESwill
postwarning signs around the site.
Who
is involved with the site?
The Montana Department ofState Lands discovered the site recently during investigation
of abandoned mines and mine mills. Because MDHES believes there are current, viable
landowners at the site, the Abandoned Mine Program turned the site over to the MDHES State
Superfund hazardous
substancescleanupprogram.
MDHES has requested and JOSLYN STREETTAILINGS SITE
received assistance from the
AgencyforToxicSubstances Lewis andClark
County
and Disease Registry
\ Fairgrounds
(ATSDR)inAtlanta,Georgia. N
CusterAve.
ATSDR
is a federal public
health agency specializing Tailings
in human health effects due Areas
to exposure to hazardous
A
substances. toxicologist
with ATSDR has recom-
mended that Superfund
prevent access to the site,
keep the tailings from being
carried off-site by wind or
surface water run-off and
continue to collect informa-
tion about the extent of con-
tamination.
MDHESSuperfundpersonnelhavealsometwithcityandcountygovernmentrepresentatives
as well as Babe Ruth Baseball and Small Fry Football Association representatives.
Who is most at risk?
Anyone who comes in direct contact with the tailings may be at risk. By comparison the
levelsofarsenicfoundinthetailingsareabout60timeshigherthanarsenicfoundincontaminated
EastHelenasoils. Samplesofsoiltakenattheballfieldindicatethatcontaminantlevelsarenormal
andarenotatlevelsofpublicconcern. Based onavailableinformation,ATSDRsaystheballfields
are safe for regular use. However, Superfund strongly advises the public stay away from the
tailings areas.
HOW CAN ARSENIC AND LEAD IN THE TAILINGS GET INTO MY BODY?
Tailings are fine-grained and may be carried by wind or water. A person may come in
contactwith the tailingsbyingestion, inhalationorskin exposure. Inaddition,pets maygetinto
the tailings and get the contaminated dust on their coats, then bring ithome to their owners.
Are arsenic and lead dangerous?
Yes,botharsenicandleadareconsideredhazardoussubstances. Arsenicisknowntocause
cancer and mayalso causenausea,vomiting, diarrhea, abnormalheartrhythm, andbloodvessel
damage. Exposure to lead can affect almost every organ and system in the bodybut the central
nervoussystemis themostsensitive. Childrenare especiallysusceptibletoleadpoisoning. Lead
mayalso causelearningdifficulties andbehavioralproblemsinchildren. Leadis associatedwith
high blood pressure in adults.
Where can I obtain more information?
MDHEShas moredetailedinformationaboutthesite andwillbehappytoshareitwiththe
public. Call siteProjectManagerDenise Martin orSuperfundInformationOfficerJaneHeathat
444-1420 in Helena.
What will happen next?
Once MDHES completes a review ofownership records and site history, potentiallyliable
persons will be asked to clean up the site. Ifpotentiallyliable persons are unable to respond in a
timely manner, MDHES will contact the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assist with
emergency removal.