Public Health Assessments

An ATSDR public health assessment (PHA) examines hazardous substances at a hazardous waste site to determine whether people could be harmed from coming into contact with those substances. The PHA also considers community concerns and lists actions that need to be taken to protect public health.

For the Isla de Vieques Bombing Range, ATSDR has evaluated the pathways most likely to result in exposure to residents of Vieques. These pathways include drinking groundwater, incidentally ingesting or touching soil, eating fish and shellfish, eating land crabs, and breathing air. A separate written evaluation was prepared for each pathway.