Legal Definitions - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, commonly known as ATSDR, is a federalpublic health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Its primary role is to protect people from harmful health effects related to exposure to natural or man-made hazardous substances. ATSDR investigates environmental health threats, helps communities understand and address contamination, and conducts research to better understand how toxic substances affect human health.

• Example 1: Chemical Spill Response

  Imagine a freight train derails in a rural area, spilling thousands of gallons of a hazardous chemical into a local river that feeds into a community's drinking water supply. Local authorities are overwhelmed by the potential health implications.

  How ATSDR applies: ATSDR would be called upon to rapidly assess the immediate and long-term health risks to residents. They would evaluate the toxicity of the spilled chemical, advise local health departments on necessary protective measures (like issuing "do not drink" orders or recommending evacuations), and monitor for any potential health problems that might arise in the affected population due to exposure.

• Example 2: Redevelopment of a Former Industrial Site

  A city plans to redevelop an abandoned manufacturing plant site into a new public park and affordable housing complex. During initial environmental surveys, significant levels of heavy metals and industrial solvents are discovered in the soil and groundwater, remnants of decades of industrial activity.

  How ATSDR applies: ATSDR would investigate the site to determine the potential health risks to future residents and park visitors. They might add the site to their national registry of contaminated locations and provide expert recommendations on safe cleanup levels, appropriate land use restrictions, and ongoing monitoring strategies to prevent human exposure to the lingering contaminants.

• Example 3: Investigating Community Health Concerns

  Residents in a small town begin to notice an unusually high number of cases of a specific neurological disorder among children, and they suspect it might be linked to emissions from a nearby industrial facility that processes various chemicals.

  How ATSDR applies: ATSDR could launch a comprehensive public health investigation to determine if there is a connection between the facility's emissions and the community's health issues. This might involve collecting environmental samples, reviewing local health data, conducting specialized studies to understand exposure pathways, and researching the long-term health effects of the specific chemicals involved to provide clear answers and recommendations to the community.