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DPH prepares for Tanapag medical testing
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Posted on Jan 19 2000
The Department of Public Health is preparing for the training of its medical staff with the scheduled arrival of a doctor from the Agency for Toxic Disease Registry next week who will assist the agency in the health assessment of Tanapag residents in connection with the widespread contamination in the village of polychlorinated biphenyls.
PCB testings will include taking blood, body fat or breast milk samples to determine whether residents have been exposed to higher levels of PCBs.
Earlier, DPH Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said he plans to establish a clinic in Tanapag village to handle the expected huge number of people who would be seeking medical testings.
Based on the preliminary review of the people’s medical records in Tanapag, CHC has seen an increase in incidence of cancer cases and chromosomal abnormalities among the residents.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers claimed that PCB contamination in the village has been removed several years ago and that the Lower Base Cemetery is the only site that has not been cleaned up.
PCBs were contained in the capacitors left by the U.S. military way back in the 60s. The presence of these electrical capacitors found throughout Tanapag village were first brought to the attention of DEQ in 1988.
This developed as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has pledged to send a staff who will work closely with the people provided the community makes such a formal request.
DEQ was able to get funding for the additional staff to concentrate specifically on the PCB issue in Tanapag village. “We cannot make the request on their behalf, they have to do that on their own,” said Ike Cabrera, DEQ director.
In the meantime, DEQ said a risk assessment to be conducted on the three sites in Tanapag which include the tank farm and the dump site to make sure that the whole area is covered in the event of a clean up.
This early, some parts of the island which have gasoline tanks have already shown hydrocarbon contamination based on preliminary assessment made.
