Investigating Community Exposure to Beryllium in Elmore, Ohio
Peter J. Kowalski, MPH, CIH

U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) asked the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to determine whether beryllium air emissions from the Brush Wellman plant in Elmore, Ohio, and the possible off-site transport of beryllium dust on workers' clothing present a health hazard to the Elmore community.

On October 10, 2001, ATSDR issued a health consultation for the Brush Wellman Elmore plant. This health consultation identified two gaps that limit ATSDR's evaluation of these exposure pathways. The data gaps include insufficient information about (a) the levels of beryllium dust in homes and personal vehicles of both Brush Wellman workers and other members of the community and (b) the levels of beryllium in ambient air during short-term incidents (e.g., air pollution control system failures).

In follow-up, ATSDR will collect environmental samples in the Elmore community to determine whether the public might be exposed to beryllium from (a) local beryllium workers who might have carried beryllium dust home on their clothing or (b) deposition of beryllium from facility air emissions. Investigators will collect soil, surface (i.e., wipe or vacuum), and air samples for beryllium from selected homes in the Elmore area, including those of current and former beryllium workers.

The results of this investigation will assist ATSDR in evaluating these exposure pathways and determining appropriate follow-up actions. ATSDR has also recommended community involvement and health education activities so that the community has a better understanding of chronic beryllium disease.

September

September 4-6, 2002
Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Conference, Atlanta, Georgia: Partnerships in Action: Connecting Globally, Responding Locally. More information is available at www.gapha.org.

September 10-13, 2002
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) 2002 Annual Meeting: Public Health: The Challenge Continues, Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, contact ASTHO by telephone at 202-371-9090 or e-mail at kkrolak@astho.org.

September 12, 2002, 1:00-3:30 PM ET
Working with Communities for Environmental Health. An Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and Public Health Training Network Satellite Broadcast and Webcast. Contact Diane Drew at ddrew@cdc.gov; more information about the braodcast is available at www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/envedu/.

September 17-19, 2002
Charting the Course: First Conference of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. More information is available at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd or by calling the center at 770-488-7150.

September 21, 2002
First Mid-Atlantic Conference on Children's Health and the Environment, Washington, DC: Clinically Important Issues in Children's Health and the Environment. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment. Contact: Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment at 202-994-1166; Web: http://www.health-e-kids.org.

October

October 17-19, 2002
Environmental Hormone 2002 Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana. Contact: e.hormone.tulane.edu/.

October 23-25, 2002
Third National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Conference on Asthma: 2002 National Asthma Meeting: Living Well with Asthma, Atlanta. More information is available at www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/asthma/2002mtg.htm .

November

November 8-9, 2002
Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) 53rd Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA: Declaring Our Interdependence: United for Health Education. Contact: Society for Public Health Education, 750 First Street NE, Suite 910, Washington, DC 20002-4242; telephone: 202-408-9804; e-mail: info@sophe.org; Web: www.sophe.org.

November 9-13, 2002
American Public Health Association 130th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA: Putting the Public Back into Public Health. Contact: APHA Meeting Coordinator Edward Shipley, telephone: 202-777-2478; fax: 202-777-2530; e-mail: edward.shipley@apha.org; Web: www.apha.org/meetings.

November 13-15, 2002
Brownfields 2002: Investing in the Future, Charlotte, NC. More information is available by e-mail: brownfields2002@dyncorp.com or by telephone: 1-877-343-5374.

November 19-21, 2002
2002 Conference on Tobacco or Health, San Francisco. For more information, contact the National Conference on Tobacco or Health by telephone: 301-294-5664, e-mail: registrar@feddata.com, or Web site: www.tobaccocontrolconference.org.

Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety

Contact: Melinda L. Sledge, Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022; telephone: 205-934-7178; e-mail: dsc@uab.edu; Web: www.uab.edu/dsc.

10-Hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) General Industry.
Upcoming course dates: July 18-19.

Spirometry Workshop.
Upcoming course dates: August 5-6.

Audiometric Testing and Hearing Conservation.
Upcoming course dates: August 7-9.

North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center

Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center, University of North Carolina, 3300 Highway 54 West, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-8264; telephone: 919-962-2101 or toll-free 1888-235-3320; fax: 919-966-7579; e-mail: oshercww@sph.unc.edu; Web: www.sph.unc.edu/osherc/.

Supervising Lead Abatement Programs.
Upcoming course dates: August 27-30; refresher course date: July 11.

Domestic Preparedness: Awareness Level.
Upcoming course date: July 18.

Domestic Preparedness: Operations Level.
Upcoming course date: July 18.

Domestic Preparedness: Technician Level.
Upcoming course dates: July 18-19.

25TH Annual Occupational Safety and Health Summer Institute, Norfolk, Virginia.
Upcoming dates: August 5-9.

Lead Inspector.
Upcoming course dates: August 19-21; refresher course date: August 26.

Lead Risk Assessor.
Upcoming course dates: August 22-23; refresher course date: August 27.

19TH Workers' Compensation Conference.
Upcoming date: August 30.

[Table of Contents]

Measuring and Raising Community Awareness of Environmental Health Services: A How-To Manual. Published by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) Association Research Center (ARC)

This publication is ARC's second reference specifically designed to be of value for the environmental health professional.

The manual

• provides the reader with a detailed description (including a case study) of how to measure levels of awareness of environmental health in a community;
  
  
• explains how to accurately interpret and report survey results;
  
  
• describes strategic planning principles and initiatives that were implemented in the case study community; and
  
  
• supplies the reader with actual tools and resources that can be used by any local environmental health program.

Special introductory prices until June 30, 2002: $69.99 (NEHA members), $99.99 (nonmembers). Save $10.00 each on additional copies ordered at the same time. 176 pages. ISBN: 0-944111-02-5.

Ordering Information

Visit the NEHA Web site (www.neha.org) and click on "Bookstore" or contact NEHA by mail: 720 South Colorado Boulevard, Suite 970-S, Denver, CO 80246-1925; or telephone: 303-756-9090.

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This page last updated on October 28, 2003
Contact Name: Wilma López/ WLópez@cdc.gov