ML20137W500

Kiski Valley Health Survey Leechburg,Pa for 1997

ML20137W500
Person / Time
Site:	07000364, 07003085
Issue date:	04/19/1997
From:	AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
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NUDOCS 9704180118
Download: ML20137W500 (44)

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i ,r l KISKI VALLEYHEALTH STUD Y ?j TABLE 0F CONTENTS ? I 1.0 EXECL*TIVE SUM 51ARY Page1-2.0 SURVEY METilODOLOGY Page 2 3.0 DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED Page 3 4.0 COMPILATION OF SURVEY RESPONSES Page 9 4.1 General information Pagei! 4.2 Medical Information - Page 19 4.2.1 Lung Page 20 4.2.2 Cardiovascular System Page 21 4.2.3 Blood Page 22 '4.2.4 - Digestn e System Page 23 4.2.5 Urinary Tract Page 24 4.2.6 Endocrine System Page 25 4.2.7 Skin Page 26 i 4.2.8 Muscles and Bones Page 27 4.2.9 Head and Neck Page 28 { 4.2.10 Nervous System Page 29 4.2.11 Immune System Page 30 ) 4.2.12 Other Reported Conditions Page 31 4.2.13 Genetic Defects Page 31 4.2.14 Reproductive System Page 32 4.2.15 Radiation History Page 34 i 4.2.16 General Health Page 34 4.3 Occupational 8xposure Page 35 j 4.4 Residential and Lifestyle History Page 36 4.4.1 Water Page 36 4.4.2 Air Page 37 4.4.3 Smoking Page 37 4.4.4 Alcohol Consumption Page 38 4.4.5 Produce Consumption Page 38 4.4.6 Game Consumpticn Page 39 4.4.7 Radon Page 39 '4.5 Additional Comments Page 40 5.0 ADDITIONAL ACCOMPANYING DATA Page 40

6.0 CONCLUSION

S ASD RECOM3tENDATIONS Page 41 ) REFERENCES Page 43

1 J KISKI VALLEY HEALTH STL"DY LIST OF APPENDICES I l APPENDIX A Bertell Survey Form APPENDIX B Kiski Valley Health Study Survey l APPENDIX C Comments Provided APPENDIX D Completed Health Survey Database l i t i I i i

t 1.0 EXECL'TIVE

SUMMARY

h i r . A comprehensive interactive health' survey ofindividualigraduating fro Leechburg High School. Leechburg. Pennsylvania has been undertaken b,; v ECO Foundation.'Inc. at the request of the Kiski Valley Coalition To Save Our Children. The health survey was mailed to approximately four thousand grai representing target years prior to. during and after operations at the n Township Babcock & Wilcox nuclear fuels processing facility. Eight hun ninety-two (892) responses were received and compiled into a compute lh . base. The data base was utilized to reflect every self reponed incidence of h I problems and abnormalities, which are reported herein. This health survey limits its reporting to presentation of gross results. These results are reported and intended for use for preliminary screening and! l decision making purposes only. Ultimate conclusions regarding community I - health, and factors that may be assumed to have impacted community health require intensive additional study to include invasive sampling technique I o a l collecting blood and tissue samples and is beyond the intended and ac j l this survev.. l 3: l l l' age 1 i

~~ .{ 'I 2.0 SURVEY.\\1ETHODOLOGY - i i s [ 1: b a This survey anempts to track general health of graduates of the Leechburg High School during specific time periods prior to.' during and after active ~ l operations at the Babcock & Wilcox nuclear fuels processing facility. The need - l for gathering such data was prompted by anecdotal evidence suggesting a t relatively high incidence of ill health among residents in the area. especially with cancers. thyroid disease and reproductive difficulties of the type that may be l t attributable to exposure to radiation. The sole purpose of the health survey is to j I 4 . provide preliminary numerical information that can be utilized in addition to anecdotal accounts for the purposes of determining if the health ofindisiduals { . exposed to nuclear and other industrial operations in the Kiski Valley merits ~ i 2 additional monitoring and intervention. 7~ j I 'l ~. L ..) I [. ma q ~

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A database of graduates in the target years.was composed from infonitation " supplied by members of the Kiski \\' alley Coalition To Save On-Children. Coalition members worked with class presidents, reunion committees and school officials to locate current addresses for all graduates from the target years. No verification of the actual percentage ofindividuals correctly identified and contacted is available due to the absence of a comprehensive data base at the school. Approximately four thousand individuals thought to be Leechburg high school graduates from the target years were eventually identified and included in the survey population. Of the approximately J.000 suneys mailed. 22 were retumed as being incorrectly addressed or undeliverable. This relatively low rate ofincomplete delivery confirms the adequacy of both the initial database of individuals and addresses, and the software utilized to highlight and conect that database in preparation for generating mailing labels. 1i An additional outreach effon included posting notices regarding the suney in various local newspapers. Graduates interested in panicipating in the study i, were given the oppontmity to call and request a survey. Numerous individuals I tequested sutveys as a result of this follow-up advenising and publicity. as well as a word cf mouth canvassing by realition members. i l'OgC : t i.

The survey itself is based on a interactive survey form developed by Rosalie Bertell. Ph.D., CSSH. of the International Institute of Concern For Public Health.' A copy of Dr. Bertell's original survey tool is included as Appendix A. The survey form utilized in the Kiski Valley Health study was slightly modified to provide a more compset survey, and to exclude some highly personal informati which may have proved objecnonable to the participants. A copy of the Kiski Valley survey is included as Appendix 8. The survey was accompanied by an introductory and explanatory letter from Coalition President. Jack Bologna. and included the ECO Foundation. Inc. address. phone number and instructions to contact the Foundation for further information or assistance in completing the form. The surveys were mailed with pre-addressed, postage paid envelopes to eliminate any potential cost or inconvenience to responding survey participants. Eight hundred ninety-two (892) completed surveys were returned to ECO. Each survey was assigned an unique identification number. The assigned number was utilized in the database processing to allow cross referencing to originals wlille maintaining panicipant confidentiality. Page 4

1 1 4 1 Survey information was transferred from originals into a master database that compiled all survey information with the exclusion of personal data such as names. addresses and phone numbers. Data transfer was done by professional data entry staff subcontracted for this project. Database integrity was ensured by protecting data entry cells to prevent inclusion ofincorrect information in data tields. For instance fields that were to contain a date would ordy allow nurneric entries. and fields that were to contain a yes or no response would only allow entry ofletters. The completed database was checked by auditing the fields through the l Microsoft Excel filter utilitv. auditing selected records against information contained in the surveys and by proof reading hard copy of the complete data base. The completed database has been formatted in Microsoft Access 2.0. and will be made available io the Coalition for distribution at their discretion. The onginal surveys, which were maintained by ECO in secured. monitored storage will be retumed to the Coalition for permanent storage. . acc.

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9 All numbers reponed have been calculated and compiled by the Access software from the information included on the master database. Ther; results reported are strictly numeric and have not been subject to either editing or interpretation by any pany. 3.0 DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED A major difficulty encountered resulted from participants failing to fully and accurately complete the survey form. In numerous instances participants sl 'I l reported the incidence of one of the survey listed conditions. but failed to no . date of first occurrence or diagnosis as per the survey instructions. The data entry l program required notation of this information to reflect the incidence of a panicular condition. and in the absence of the required date merely noted the problems section under the general systems heading. For instance. a person g noting anhritis. but failing to provide a date of first occurrence would only reflec 3 -l' as a yes value under the general heading of any conditions of muscles and bonesl Because of this limitation, the master database provides a better general view, and is less accurate for specific conditions. -{ p. I 3 l t' age o C3 -

The major exception to this difficulty was with the cancer category. Virtually every participant responding as positive for the occurrence of cancer provided both a date of diagnosis. as well as the name of the diagnosing physician. Therefore, this crucial category ofinformation is unaffected by this particular difficulty. Inconsistent and inappropriate responses created'an additionai difficultv. Instances of panicipants replying no for sny conditions. but going on to provide a diagnosis date for a specific condition were encountered. This difficulty was I resolved by entering yes under the major conditions where a diagnosis date was given. and leaving the no answer where no specific date was provided. Inconsistent infonnation. such as females answering male only questions was excluded where all other data provided appeared relevant and trustwonhy. No other interpretation or editing of data occurred. Even in cases where answers 1 seemed unlikely. data was recorded as presented on the original survey. t l' age ~ l

-.. - ~. ~ A small number of suneys were completed and returned without names.

addresses or other identification. In all cases, these surveys were handivritteni

~ contained information which appeared feasible. and reasonably detailed. and was 1 therefore included in the master database. Reference tlirough identi5 cation ~ number back to the original surveys would allow for this information to be deleted q ~ t 1 from fumre consideration of the compiled data if so desired. 1 i Where participants either declined or neglected to answer a quesn'on. no data was entered for the non-responsive questions. This leads to a differina. ) y }. response rate for each of the questions. Response rates are noted in the narrative discussion of the survey results contained herein at Section 4.0. l 1 I e A number of surveys were returned which reflected the don't know option j l for every question. As per stated protocol, these surveys were recorded as l received. However, because these ambiguous responses tend to decrease more -l useful information. and because it seems unlikely that a person would be totally ignorant about the status of his or her health, this data may require reevaluation. to / ' include inteniewing respondents to ensure complete integrity of the health data. i 9 f /#def 41 1 + + a .s ~

4 Due to the format of the survey itself. which largely required checking boxes there was little difficulty in distinguishing or interpreting individual handwriting. Survey information integrity was preserved to the point of entering conditions noted utilizing the exact terminology and spelling provided by the survey participant. 4.0 COMPILATION OF SURVEY RESPONSES Numeric information and a graphical presentation of information is presented for each of the major questions and physical systems touched upon by the survey.

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O i: e. i L The master database provided the source for th; presented numbers which - I f .were tabulated bv the filter.' utility of Microsoft Excel so tware. Presentation of ~ ,,i data as'a percentage based pie graph was accomplished through use of the Microsoft Graph 5.0 utility contained the Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0 l ' software. Numbers and graph presented are therefore dependent on the integrity.

l of the database. Because the master database contains over 500.000 separate fields ofinformation. it is certain that some small percentage ofinformation may be.

improperly' entered. This has the potential to affect the information presented below. ' Therefore. despite aggressive measures to protect the integrity of the data y as detailed above, this information compilation should be viewed as representative of the survey responses provided, rather than an absolute tabulation of those i responses. All responses as recorded have been reflected into the master database. i 5 a-f j t l -l l o ~ - i'Jte f ri . r.. e s v .v s+ r ,-~, o ,-,. -, +. , -,, ~ e-. w e

l. i qw n 1 ,a ' 4.1 General Information As noted above personal information such as names. addresses and i i + telephone numbers has been excluded from the master data base and th s report n order to maintain confidentiali'ry.' identification numbers which reference back to the original surveys have been substituted throughout. Of 892 survey participants. 892 answered questiod A3 asking for the sex of the respondent. 525 females and 367 males were recorded as suney participants. KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY RESPONDENTS BY SEX 5 ) l ..;,;4.,. ua + ; J f..-

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OFEMALE l' OMALE 1 367 v. g>. 573 females responded to question A4 asking for height. He average height of these respondents was 64.4 inches. 365 males answered question A4. The average height recorded among males responding ta the question was 70 4 t v inches f 5 E - 5 s QT. l'il,Gt' Y 5 W ~.

494 females provided answers to question A5 asking for weight. Of responding females, the average weight was 149 pounds. 367 males gave responses for weight, with an average recorded weight of 188 pounds. Survey question A6 asked for the panicipants years of education in numeric form. 379 survey panicipants responded. witn an average educational level of-i 13.9 years, w hich translates to high school graduation as well as some secondary 1 schooling. Date of high school graduation as asked in question A7 varied for each participant. and is retlected on the master data base print out sheets. 1 l' age 1:

Ur Y 2 d-105 of the individuals surveyed served in the armed forces with the. following distribution;among the various branches: SERVICE NUbiBER RECORDED ARMY 57 NAVY 11 - AIR. 17 FORCE MARINES I5 OTHER 5 i survey parkicipants reponed that they were still on active duty with one of the branches of the armed senices. ?.* N 1.'

1 e ~ Survey question A10 inquired about the predominant ethnic heritage of survey panicipants. It should be noted that ethnic and racial make-up is considered to be an important factor in the incidence of some diseases and 1 } disorders. Researchers have noted substantial differences in the rate and severity of vanous disease in different racial and ethnic groups. However. it is difficult to distinguish whether and to what extent these differences ~ are due to lifestyle versus L genetics. 886 survey panicipants provided a racial description. Of those. S77 .] described themselves as White. 6 as Black 4 as Native American and I as other. NSN VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY RACIAL DISTRIBUTION l NADVE 4 _c,~ BLACK h in WHITE p p 1 - l i'ageia i c.

py c i f i. L ' Question A11 asked for annual household iacome. Only 258 survey respondents were willin'g to provide this infamiation, which was tagged as optional. Again, the question was included in the survey because there appear to-be marked differences m the occurrence and outcome of disease and disorders based on income. Intuitively this makes sense. Affluent individuals are more likely to have access to more, and better quality hesith care. as weil es being ebie to sustain a potentially healthier lifestyle than less affluent persons. Ofindividuals. i willing to report income. the average annual household income was S 54.735.00, l l I-I e l tQgt' ll

i 882 survey participants gave answers to question A12 seeking infonnation on housing types. ~~9 individuals responded that they occupied single family housing. 62 reponed living in multiple family dwellings, and 21 participants resided in mobile homes. KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY

SUMMARY

OF RESIDENTIAL HISTORY MULTIPLE MODILE FAMILY HOME 7% C SINGLE FAMILY Q MULTIPLE F AMILY SINGLE FAMILY O MOelLE HOME ~ 31% Survey question A13 asked the participant's dnnking water supply S79 persons answered this question, with a majority 729 relying on municipal or supplied water.126 individuals reponed utilizing a well for potable water. and 24 individuals listed bottled water as their primary source for drinking water. . ace i 6

4 f i + 4 875 survey participants provided numeric responses to question A14 inquiring about the length of residence in the Leechburg area. Of those providing responses. :he average length of residence in :he area was recorded as 27 S5 years. k An average of 3.I persons resided in the households of the S71 survey participants responding to question A16. r t i e ? t 1 i'J::ej' ^ -- "'

1 i Suney question A17 sought information regarding any occurrences of cancer in survey respondents or their children. 857 individuals are recorded as havinc provided responses. ~~7 recorded no cancer occurrences: 62 noted cancers in themselves or children and 18 responded with the don't.know option. Percentages for each of the recorded responses to question A17 are as follows: i KISK; VALLEY HEALTH STUDY i REPORTED CANCER OCCURRENCE DONT KNOW 2% YES j 4 i OYES ONO O DONT KNOW g I I 4

4.2 \\1edical Information The survey divided medical information into sections by physiological systems. Information regarding specific diseases and disorders was asked for in each section, as well as providing an oppornmity to list other diseases that responders may have felt were relevant to the subject heading. The information compiled below is for major headings. Information regarding the rates of reponed occurrence for specific disorders can be obtained from the master database. I' L'C I J

C 4 . :.1 Lung Question Bi recorded responses about the rate of occurrence of problems related to the lungs. 884 individuals completed this question. 670 reponed no lung complaims. 89 noted lung disorders. 48 responded using the don't know option. KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURRENCE OF LUNG CONDITIONS i DON'T KNOW 5% YES 10 % 'O YES ~'" NO a 0NO 45% O DON'T KNOW l r 1 race.:o i J l

Y 4 J. 2. 2 . Cardiovascular System Survey question B2 collected information regarding the cardiovascular system. S86 survey participants provided answers to this question category. 670 reported no conditions or disease of the cardiovascular system.176 participants reported the a:currence of conditions or symptoms related to the cardiovascular system. 40 individuals chose the don't know response option. L KJSKI VALLEYHEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR CONDmONS DON'T KNOW I 6% OYES ONO O DON'T KNOW l 1 "m 2i.

iI ~ J. 2. 3 Blood A total of 873 panicipants answered ' question B3 and its relevant subpans relating to conditions of the blood. 755 experienced no conditions of the blood. 81 reponed that they had experienced one or more conditions associated with blood systems. 3 of those responding to the question utilized the don't know option. KISKI V,4. LEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURRENCE OF BLOOD CONDITIONS DON'T KNOW 4% ~ IT% 0YES ONO C DON'T KNOW I ' JRC U

Y I. 2. 4 Digesuve Syslem Survey question 84 compiled information regarding digestive system health. S82 persons answered question B4. 666 reported no digestive system conditions or syrnproms.177 recorded a variety of conditions relevant to the digesuve tract. 36 participants responded to the question with don't know. KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURENCE OF DIGESTIVE TRACT CONDITIONS DON'T KNoW 4% YES 20*. / M: NO A +-- YM"P'

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76'4 ~E ]A[ OYES ONO D DON'T FNOW i'aer* 1]

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4. 2.5 Urinary Tract Information regarding urinary tract health was collected in survey question B5. A total of 882 parncipants provided responses. TS6 or'those responded no.

64 answered B5 with yes and 32 checked the don't know option line, t n. t KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURENCE OF URINARY TRACT CONDillONS DON'T KNOW 4% ygg N IS% O YES ONO 1 O DON'T KNOW I t Page.M i

I n 42.6 Endocrine System i The endocrine system is composed of glands which secrete the hormones which create the chemical environment necessary for our bodies to function l properly. Question B6 sun' eyed the occurrence of endocrine system or glandular conditions. S69 people completing the survey provided answers for this question and its subsections. Of those. ~39 reponed that they had experienced no endocrine system conditions. 39 reponed having experienced endocrine systern conditions, at some point in their lives. 41 individuals selected don't know as the appropriate response to this question. Of particular note,46 survey participants speci5cally i noted thyToid conditions ranging from abnormal thyroid activity to thyroid cancer. 1 DON'T KNOW 5% YES \\ C., P v-

"O O DON'T KNOW NO 85'4

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i 1 4 . J. 2. ~ Skin Survey participants provided 878 total responses on questions related to skin conditions. 737 of those participants responded that they had not been arTected by any skin conditions.122 reported the occurrence of various conditions of the skin. while 29 responders chose to answer with the don't know option. KISKI VALLEY HEALTH STUDY REPORTED OCCURRENCE OF SKIN CONDmONS DONT KNOW 3% a 3% . w-0YES 84% ONO ) ODON'T KNOW I 4 l 1 4 1 l l' age 26 i

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4. 2. 8 Muscles and Bones Information on common conditions of the muscles and bones was compiled in survey question B8. 737 responders indicated that they had never experienced r

conditions of the muscles or bones. I12 panicipants noted conditions of the muscles and /or bones. with annritis being the most commonly cited condition. 41 people answered this question with the don't know response. A total of 879 survey participants provided an answer to this question and it subsections. KISK) VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURRENCE OF MUSCLE AND BONE CONDIDONS DON'T KNOW 4% YES 16% n NO 80% O YES ONO O DON'T KNOW r'3Ce 2 ~

.Y 1 + 4.2. 9 Head andNeck 880 people participating in this survey answered question 89. providing information about conditions of the head and neck. 477 no responses were . recorded. 330 positive responses were counted with the maiority of responders reporting that they had experienced the need for vision corrective lenses. 23 individuals provided a don't know response. KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCUPRENCE OF HEAD AND NECK CONDITIONS DON'T KNOW NO 4% $3% i 369.l?gS iO; .a a...,.- :. [.I-)fIh k#fdb 43% OYES ONO ODON'T KNOW i 4 i 00GC.Y l I

.-.. _. y I 1 I 4.2.10 . Nervous System I g When all responses for question 89 regarding nervous system conditions and symptoms were totaled. 881 responses were received. 742 of those responders failed to note :my nervous system conditions or symptoms. 26 suney 1 i participants reponed conditions or symptoms related to'this system. and 33 l checked the don't know response line. I b KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY REPORTED OCCURRENCE OF NERVOUS SYSTEM CONDITIONS DON'T KNOW 4% NO 94% OYES I ONO O DON'T KNOW l l 3

.h 1 ~... ..] -B .m 'I 1 A.2.11 Immune System j-m .i ]_ The body's immune system helps to fight infection, and th'e importance of j {< -proper immune functioning has been demonstrated by the devastating health- ) effects noted in Af Ds patients with severely compromised immune systems. LQuestions relating to the immune system and common auto-immune disease were -l presented in survey question B11. SSI responses were received regarding immune i system conditions and symptoms. 594 panicipants recorded no conditions 'or l -J ~ j symptoms relevant to this category. 256 reported that they had at sometime ' experiehced immune system symptoms. The most common specific conditions I 1 1 noted were allergies and frequent colds. 31 don't know responses completed this data set. i s f f

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J.2.12' JOther Reported Conditions '^ !. Question B12 allowed survey participants to note other conditions.- disorders diseases or syrnproms that they felt were worthy of note and had not been inc!uded in the other medical questions contained in the smvey. 865 individuals provided a response to question B12. The response broke down as follows: 636 no: IS7 yes:.C don't know. 4 2.13 Genetic Defects in Children Question B13 regarding genetic defects in off-spring of survey participants proved to be an ambiguous question in that many participants who did not list themselves as having children nonetheless provided a no response to this question.- In evaluating the survey responses it became apparent that a not applicable option would have been most appropriate for this category, and it is strongly suggested that such changes be made to the survey tool for any future uses. 45 suney participarts responded that their children were affected with various genetic defects. A completiiisting of the genetic defects noted are included in the master database. Face.i: , _:. u, .y c N 5,'

4. 2. ! 4 Reproductive System Likewise the B13 female only question proved to problematic. Many survey respondents rightfully answered yes for any conditions noting that pregnancy was listed as a subsection of this question. L'pon review of the I

compiled information this design daw in the survey tool became evident. Therefore. due to these difficulties inherent to the sun ey tool pregnancy. a perfectly natural condition. is categorized with other disoroers and ailments that . i are considered as pathologies..ne cata as supplied included a total of 476 answers. 276 women teponed no conditions under this heading.187 responded with a yes that may not be reDec:ive of actual incidence of disease or disorder among survey panicipants for the reasons discussed herein. l' female respondents chose the don't know response. Question B14 touched on male reproductive system conditions. This question was free from the likelihood of ambiguous response that tnDuenceci the female reproductive system infonnation. 332 male survey panicipants answered question B14. 276 recorded no reproductive system conditions.15 noted conditions among the various heading subsections. 41 male responders replied to his question with don't know I

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t ) (. 5 i Both male and female reproductive histories'were solicited by the survey. 1- +.' ~ For all' survey participants.1.101 live binhs were recor e.-d d Of the reported live-births. 65 were characterized as low birth weight and 73 as premature births. 1 i l Among females. 823 pregnancies were reported with 117 resultant miscarriages. ~ The sex distdbution reported was as follows: 508 female child.ren: 593 male - l . children reponed. ? KISKI VALLEY HEALTH SURVEY SEX RATIO REPORTED FOR OFF SPRING FEMALE' i 44 % li ? .. ~...,; ,.7:

OMALE MALE C FEMALE l l

H% i Some community health researchers have noted a skewing of the sex ratios ip.-in communities exposed to radiation. However, the ratio previously reported incidentai to chronic radiation exposure favored females / { } l i i s l'. el* 2 1

I 1 4.2.15 Radiation Histon Question BIS related to individual history of radiation in the form of medically prescribed x-rays for screening, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. T S62 respondent's answered this question. 802 indicated that they had some past history of medical radiation exposure. 48 individuais did not record any history of having been exposed to x-rays or medical radiation.12 survey participants responded that they did not know the status of possible past exposure. 4.2.16 GeneralHealth Question B16 was designed to allow the respondent tm give his own. c undirected assessment of the general condition of his or her health. S44 survey respondents participated in this rating of their health. 345 characterized their health 'as being excellent. 429 ratings of good health were recorded. 61 individuals described themselves as being in fair health, while only 9 people rated their general health as poor l' ace 1

I. 4.3 Occunational Etnosure Question C1 and its related subsections were designed to survey various l occupational exposures to various chemicals known to influence human health, as well as to gauge the length ofindividual exposures to these chemicals. 838 responses were received on occupational history. Of those..:S9 participants did not believe that they had been exposed to po:entially harmful chemicals in the course of their employment. 270 individuals recorded exposure to at least one potentially harmful chemical as a result of theirjobs. ;79 of those individuals providing a response to this question did not know if they had been exposed to chemical agents at their workplaces. i I Page 35

~ - 4.4 Residential and I.ifestyle Historv { Environmental and lifestyle factors are known'to influence health and the i 1 .] occurrence of disease. Survey respondents providing information in this regard j provided imponant information that will be vital in ultimately evaluating the data I ~ produced as a result of the Kiski Valley Health study. I t .l J. 4.1 Water ~ a i 356 of the people responding to this survey reponed that their drinking j. l water looked. smelled and/or tasted unusual at some point in time. Out of 865 l-responses. 302 individuals reponed that their drinking water had been tested. 275 g respondents believed that their drinking water had not been tested. and 2SS did not know whether testing had ever been performed. .I I 1 1 l i .Of h

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) l The following responses were made regarding air quality in the areas where. survey respondents reside: q 4 KISKI VALLEY HEALTH STUDY-1 RESPONSES REPORTED FOR AIR QUALITY DESCRIPTION OF AIR QUALITY l' Mod. Frequent Other Smog ll Occastonal l Occasional l Frequent j Clear i Haze Lt. smoke - smoke - Odor Odor Smog Just dust l' I l 8 605 l 103 i 64 i 16 i 133 21 104 j 7 4-f

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Smolcing ? i . Questions regarding smoking history were segregated by smoking material. I l For each quution regarding smoking,891 survey respondents provided yes or no I responses as follows: CIGARETTES CIGARS PIPE YES 359 55 35 NO 532 836 856 t i l i l Pagt II b c' ] 1 j 2

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4. 4. 4 Alcohol Consumption

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l 891 survey panicipants answered yes or no when asked whether they. 'r consumed alcoholic beverages. 518 yes responses versus 373 no answers were 1 recorded. { l I-J.,.5 Produce Consumption i l Survey participants were asked about their consumption of home or locally u l produced Euits, berries and vegetables. ' 868 responses were recorded. A large . t majority of 702 respondents replied that at least some portion of their diet ( I consisted oflocal produce. 99 participants did not consume local produce. and 67 h individuals did not know the source of their produce. F k g I li e l' age id

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Game Cortsumption - 874 responses were received indicating whether wild game made up part of the responding individual's no'rmal diet. '539 individuals reported that they .l f consume no game. 333 individuals recorded that game comprised some portion of I their routine diet. ' Two individuals did not know whether they consumed wild l game as part of their regular intake of meals. I

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Radon I Radon is a naturally occumng radioactive substance that collects as gas in l buildings constructed in localities with certain geologic formations and conditions. Many areas of the l'aited States are prone to radon contamination. Radon is thought to produce effects on human health including being suspected as a lung l carcinogen.129 panicipants of the Kiski Valley Health study reported that their i l homes had been checked for the presence of radon gas. A majority 464 had not had their homes screened for radon, while 287 were unsure as to the radon status l v of their homes. 49 survey participants went on to report that their neighborhoods i I had been tested for radon. 397 respondents did not believe that their l 1 neighborhoods had been monitored for radon. and a majority 419 did not know the 1 status of any radon gas testing in their neighborhoods and communities. i l Pace H j

.~. -e i i i i -t i e 'i 4.5 ' Additionai Com ments j r lThe survey form provided blank spacing to allow participants to ask i questions, and/or to make comments. All' comments that were received by ECO are attached as Appendix C. These comments were edited to delete personal j information included such as names and addresses. but are otherwise presented in i 4 their entirety. 4 b 1 5.0 ADDITIONAL ACCOMPANYING DATA 1 A comprehensive pnnt out of allinformation recorded from the completed l surveys received accompanies this report as Appendix D. Complete surveys for I each set ofidentification numbers are presented with the recorded respon!;es reflected in the order that questions appeared on the survey form. Column headings on the master data base relate exactly to survey question numbering. i h i iMet JO I

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6.0 CONCLUSION

S AND RECOMMENDATIONS I As noted, this report was expressly prepared for use as a general l informational tool by the public. This report is neither written, formatted or intended to be a technical document. However, the completed database that is the result of this initial survey effort provides data which can be utilized to perfonn a { more complete analysis of community health, which relies on traditional ~ l epidemiological and risk assessment methodology. This type ofin-depth data y analysis is suggested. t Additionally, because parameters had to be set that limited the information l asked. received and recorded to a manageable database. instances of the g occurrence of disease. especially cancers in family members other than Leechburg high graduates or their children are not reflected in the database. \\tany survey participants included this type ofinformation in the comments section. and follow upon this category ofinformation at some future point may be advisable. u a i l }" Og J/

I i ( l l The persistence of anecdotal reports of high incidences of disease attributable to radiation and industrial contamination suggest that house to house health surveys for all communities located in proximity to one or both of the Babcock and Wilcox nuclear fuels processing facilities should be considered. A future follow-up study of participants in the present study would provide - additional useful data on the long term health of a representative sample of residents and former residents of the area. t r Finally, we would urge all responsible citizens and former residents of the Kiski Valley area to support the efforts of the Kiski Valley Coalition To Save Our Children in ensuring that both B&W sites. as well as othar inactive waste sites in the area are fully ~ documented, monitored and remediated. 1 i Page Q \\ l l}}