PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
CARTER-LEE LUMBER COMPANY
INDIANAPOLIS, MARION COUNTY, INDIANA
Comments and Responses
People who live near hazardous waste sites have shared with us their fear of never knowing what may be happening to their health and their frustration when we are not always able to provide adequate proof that they are safe, especially when some members of a community have illnesses that their doctors cannot yet explain. We have looked at all ways that you may have been exposed to the contaminants present at this site. We have not found where anyone has been exposed to contaminants at the site at levels that we know cause health effects. For that reason, we would not know what tests to run on blood samples and would not know how to interpret any test results. If you feel that you have been exposed to contaminants at the site in a way that has not been discussed in this document, we ask that you let us know.
We did investigate the allegations of weight loss and skin lesions occurring in workers, but we were unable to substantiate this information. We did not conduct blood testing because we could not find where workers were exposed to levels of contaminants that are associated with health effects. We do not know if any employee has undergone testing through his or her health care provider. If any employees wish to share information with us, we are available to them.
Although these chemicals, and others, are present in on-site groundwater, we do not believe that anyone is exposed to the contaminated groundwater. The levels of cyanide found in the on-site groundwater were below comparison values and would not be expected to cause adverse health effects should someone accidentally ingest some of the water. As explained in this document, unless you come into contact with the contamination, you should not experience health effects as a result of the contamination.
Clinical tests exist to determine if you have one of these chemicals in your body. However, everyone has a certain amount of arsenic and cyanide in their bodies. Sometimes we have difficulty distinguishing what levels are normal for one person and what is normal for another. We do have ranges that we feel describe what is normal for the majority of people. We also have to consider other factors when we evaluate your specific exposure. Those factors include the dose (how much of a chemical you have contacted), the duration of exposure (how long and often you are exposed), and how you come in contact with it (touch it, breathe it, or ingest it) . We also consider the other chemicals you are exposed to at home and at work and your age, gender, diet, family traits, lifestyle, and state of health.
