Public Health Activities

In July 2002, the community petitioned ATSDR to find out if persons living near the Kerr-McGee site had been exposed to chemicals at levels that could cause health problems.

Public Health Assessments (PHA)

ATSDR conducted two Public Health Assessments.

• Air Exposures to Wood Treatment Chemicals - 10/21/2009 [PDF, 830 KB]
• Public Health Assessment (Soil) - Public Comment Version - 9/22/2008 [PDF, 5.59 MB]
  NOTE: ATSDR is finalizing the PHA on soil, including public comments received and the responses and changes made to address the comments received.
  

Exposure Investigations (EI)

ATSDR conducted two Exposure Investigations.

• Drinking Water Sampling from Homes Near the Kerr McGee Chemical Corporation - 9/22/2008 [PDF, 318 KB]
• Fish - 9/22/2008 [PDF, 319 KB]

Fact Sheets

• Overview of Kerr McGee [PDF, 85 KB]
• Creosote Health Effects [PDF, 130 KB]
• Air Exposure [PDF, 205 KB]
• Fish [PDF, 204 KB]
• Soil, Sediment and Surface Water [PDF, 450 KB]

What is a Public Health Assessment and Exposure Investigation?

A Public Health Assessment (PHA) provides health information that is more detailed than a HC about a particular site. PHAs may look for information:

• About contaminants and how persons come into contact with them;
• On community-wide rates of illness, disease, and death compared with national and state rates; and/or
•  On reports from the public about how the site affects their health or quality of life.

An Exposure Investigation (EI) involves collecting information so that investigators can learn:

• Whether high levels of a hazardous substance can be found in a particular place.
• Whether people have come in contact with the substance (exposure).
• Whether the level of exposure could be harmful to the people’s health.