News Release
11/06/96

Muskegon County Toxic Waste Site Evaluated

The Bofors-Nobel, Inc. toxic waste contamination site in Muskegon County does not pose any apparent public health hazard at the present time, according to a Public Health Assessment released today by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH).

Past operations at a chemical plant on the site released various chemicals, most notably 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine (DCB), into the environment, and soil, sludge, and groundwater at the site are contaminated with DCB and other chemicals. Under current conditions at the site, people are not likely to come into contact with the contaminated soil, sludge, and groundwater. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) are carrying out operations on the site to clean the groundwater and further contain the contaminated soil.

In the past, workers at the chemical plant on the site were exposed to DCB and other chemicals. Some workers carried the chemicals to their homes on their skin, clothes, and shoes. MDCH is conducting a study of the health of past and current workers at the Bofors-Nobel and nearby residents.

The Bofors-Nobel site is on the U.S. EPA Superfund National Priorities List. This assessment is a revision of the draft Public Health Assessment for the site that MDCH released for public comment on March 1, 1995.

The department welcomes further public comment on the Public Health Assessment and will accept any new information regarding the site for inclusion in future assessments of the site. Copies of the Public Health Assessment are available for review at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon, the Egelston Township Hall, and the Muskegon County Health Department offices.

Information and comments should be addressed to the Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Health Risk Assessment, 3423 North Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., P.O. Box 30195, Lansing, Michigan 48909. People may also call the toll-free telephone number, 1-800-MI-TOXIC.

For more information regarding the health study of Bofors-Nobel workers, contact Dr. Elroy Klaviter of the MDCH Division of Health Risk Assessment, at the same toll-free number. The Public Health Assessment for the Bofors-Nobel site was conducted by MDCH under a cooperative agreement with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information on the Public Health Assessment, call John L. Hesse or Brendan Boyle at the MDCH Division of Health Risk Assessment, (517) 335-8350 or at the toll-free number above.