NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY
Article date: September 19, 2002

Residents express Avtex concerns at local forum

"Don't just sit at home and be afraid. Be proactive."
Kathleen Lamprecht
Front Royal resident

By: Mary Beiler

Residents with health concerns over the cleanup of the Avtex Superfund site attended an open house sponsored by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on Wednesday night.

The purpose of the informal meeting was to gather concerns from residents and determine if there is a need for additional environmental health studies, said the agency's regional representative, Thomas R. Stukas.

The open house was in response to resident's concerns relating to odors emanating from the site. A physician also was on hand to answer questions and offer to work with local physicians on any symptoms residents may be experiencing.

Norma Landicho, who lives near the site and is a member of Citizens for a Better Environment, waited outside Samuel Public Library before the start of the open house. She held a sign that read, "We want a complete health study."

Landicho said she has been fighting for over a year to get the federal government to perform an air-quality monitoring study. She said she hopes she can encourage more studies in the future.

While the agency conducted air sampling of the perimeter of the site between October and January, environmental health scientist Timothy Walker said the scientists want to reflect more seasonal changes in the air quality.

The recent study found hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide were below the levels of concern, but agency representatives said they want to be sure it stays that way.

"To date, we haven't seen anything of any significance, but we want to be sure," Stukas said.

However, Dr. Dianyi Yu of the agency's Division of Health Education said the odors can worsen the condition of people who have pre-existing problems, especially those of respiratory nature.

Only a handful of the 1,500 local residents living within a three-mile radius of the site who were invited to the open house stopped by to talk one-on -one with agency representatives about their concerns.

Some, like Ed and Kathleen Lamprecht, said they don not have any concerns at all, but were just curious.
"I think this is excellent ,especially for people who are saying their eyes burn because they live here," Kathleen Lamprecht said. "I'm only sorry it wasn't offered a long time ago."

The Lamprechts, who moved to Front Royal in 1999 from New Jersey, said they have not experienced any adverse health affects from living near the site.
While Mrs. Lamprecht admitted that she has asthma, she said she "can't attribute that to anything that's happening on the site."

The Lamprechts also said they have never had any problems getting answers to their questions or concerns about the site from FMC Corp. or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"The information is out there, [and] there are answers to [people's] questions," she said. "Don't just sit at home and be afraid. Be proactive."

Agency representatives did not know how long an air quality monitoring study would take, adding that it will have to be negotiated with the EPA, which will be overseeing the study.

Residents can visit the agency's Web site at www.atsdr.cdc.gov for more information about health effects related to exposure to hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide.