Improving the Science: Changes to the 2007 Draft

Since its formation more than 20 years ago, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is committed to the protection of public health from chemical contamination. In 2001, the International Joint Commission (IJC) asked ATSDR for "assistance in evaluating the public health implications of environmental contamination in Great Lakes Areas of Concern." In response to that request, ATSDR developed a report entitled "Selected Information on Chemical Releases within Great Lakes Counties Containing Areas of Concern (AOC)." An in-process draft of this report became public in 2007, before ATSDR finished reviewing and finalizing it. That draft raised scientific concerns, which are described at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/grtlakes/pdfs/Scientific_Concerns.pdf. Accordingly, ATSDR delayed release of the report and set about correcting the deficiencies. This statement summarizes actions taken to assure the scientific quality of the current (April 2008) draft.

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