Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) was created under The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (aka the Superfund Act) and is a program within the US Department of Health and Human Services. The agency's main function is to evaluate the side effects of toxic/hazardous substances and the consequences of exposure. ATSDR's duties include the following: health assessments at waste sites, consultations regarding the effects of hazardous substances, health surveillance, emergency response to hazardous spills, continued research in environmental public health, maintaining toxicological databases, dissemination of information related to hazardous substances, and education/training regarding hazardous substances. In short, the agency assesses the health and environmental risks associated with Superfund sites, decontaminates Superfund sites, and offers solutions to prevent further harm from hazardous substances. In 2014, ATSDR worked in 600 communities with over one million people, responded to 57 emergency hazardous spills, and updated or released 12 new ToxProfiles. The agency attributes its success to their three-step standard operating procedure when addressing an issue: assess available research and data; partner with the stakeholders and the EPA to make a recommendation; collect additional data to ensure evidence-based outcomes.
Resource
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/about/index.html
Hello Elena,
ReplyDeleteThis agency appears to be relevant for you, as you have mentioned that your local areas has a high degree of superfund sites. I am curious if your local area was one of the 600 communities that the ATSDR worked in. If so, I am curious as to what they assessed, and any solutions they may have come up with, to improve the environmental conditions in your area.
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing about ATSDR. Their duties that you explained seems very important for environmental health. It is impressing that ATSDR worked in 600 communities! I am wondering how they actually assess at waste sites. It would be good topic to research if it has been done yet. Also, it would be good to know how much the commentates has been increased their environmental health after assessed by ATSDR.