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Coldwater Creek Group Encouraged by . . .
Toxic Substance and Disease Assessment Results
The ATSDR released a final report evaluating exposure to radiological contaminants left over from the Manhattan Project in the Coldwater Creek area. The Coldwater Creek – Just the Facts Community is encouraged by the results of the public health assessment (PHA) and pleased that the ATSDR considered the concerns of local citizens in their final analysis.
The ATSDR has confirmed that past exposure to nuclear weapons waste, from the 1960s – 1990s, has led to a present-day increased risk of certain cancers. The ATSDR has also validated the need for continued cleanup of Coldwater Creek by the Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate the potential current and future exposure risk.
This is a regional health issue requiring the support and collaboration of all parties involved in order to accelerate cleanup of affected areas, promote health education and awareness in the community, and initiate early disease detection, intervention and prevention programs.
The Coldwater Creek Community plans to continue working with the ATSDR and Public Health agencies to educate the medical community, while pursing inclusion in the federally funded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which provides support and
restitution for Manhattan Project waste communities.
The report considered exposures to people who played or lived along Coldwater Creek downstream from historical radioactive waste storage piles, both in the past (1960s to 1990s) and more recently (2000s and on). ATSDR concluded that residents who regularly played or lived along the creek for many years in the past may have an increased risk of lung cancer, bone cancer, or leukemia. Residents who lived along the creek more recently may have an increased risk of lung cancer.
The final report incorporates responses to comments received on a draft report during a June through August 2018 public comment period. Several details of the evaluation changed, but ATSDR’s overall conclusions and recommendations remain the same.
- Recommends that potentially exposed residents or former residents share their potential exposure related to Coldwater Creek as part of their medical history and consult their physicians promptly if new or unusual symptoms develop.
- Supports the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program’s continued investigation and cleanup of Coldwater Creek sediments and floodplain soils.
For more information about ATSDR’s Coldwater Creek report, community members can call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636), or email ColdwaterCreek@cdc.gov.
