Background

ATSDR and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) are conducting an extensive review of environmental health concerns raised by the community members in Midlothian, Texas to determine if chemical releases from local industries could or have affected the health of persons and animals in the area.

ATSDR is a health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. ATSDR and DSHS will review environmental and health data and prepare a series of health consultations to summarize their health findings.

Midlothian community members asked ATSDR and DSHS to more fully investigate chemical releases from several large industries in the area. Residents asked the agencies to evaluate potential health risks to humans and animals resulting from exposure to single and to multiple chemicals released by nearby industries.

Midlothian is in Ellis County, 30 miles south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The city consists of commercial and retail buildings and residential properties. According to the Midlothian Economic Development Board, Midlothian’s population in 2007 was approximately 13,800 persons with another 13,003 persons living within the city’s extra territorial jurisdiction. Midlothian is home to large-scale industrial operations that include three cement plants and a steel mill.