Course: BLD 159 Intro to Brownfield Remediation, Land Re-use, and Public Health

Assignment: Health Assessment

Health Assessments

You have learned some basics of risk assessment and how it is used in RBCA. Now we will learn about health assessment.

Health Assessment: This is the process the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) uses to evaluate whether people could be harmed by hazardous materials. (ATSDR)

How does ATSDR's public health assessment process differ from EPA's risk assessment process?

To determine the public health issues that need to be addressed at a site, ATSDR identifies places where human exposure occurs and the types of illnesses that might be associated with that exposure. ATSDR then makes recommendations for reducing or preventing exposure or for conducting other public health actions. EPA is responsible for cleaning up the sites. EPA's risk assessment process is used to determine clean-up levels and develop site clean-up plans that will protect both the environment and public health.

See the ATSDR Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual for more information about the differences between ATSDR's public health assessment process and EPA's risk assessment process.

The following link directs you to the webpage of the Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on the Health Assessment Process and will help you in answering the questions included in this assignment.

Also, click here to answer questions about Oak Estates that is used in the online learning program of the Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Please answer the following questions by providing brief (2-4 sentences) answers:
1. Are there any “red flags” about Oak Estates that come to mind? If so, what?
2. What do you know about the population that you might want to note?
3. What are some steps you might take to learn more about residents’ concerns and potential exposures?

Once you have completed the assignment go to the Dropbox Folder in the Content Menu and click on "Dropbox: Unit 7 Health Assessments” to learn how to submit the assignment.