Montgomery County, PA

A Health Consultation by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) titled “Health Outcome Data Evaluation, 1996-2004, Borit Site, Ambler Pennsylvania” was recently released. The Health Consultation (HC), which considered mesothelioma incidence in the Ambler, Blue Bell and Fort Washington zip codes, showed elevated mesothelioma incidence when compared to the rest of PA, however, the elevation was not statistically significant. A geographic statistical review undertaken by the Montgomery County Health Department is included in the Health Consultation as an appendix.

 

Prompted by concerns expressed by residents of the Ambler area, PADOH and ATSDR have analyzed the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry data for mesothelioma cases in that area. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is associated with exposure to asbestos fibers, and affects the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers most of our internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (the outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity) but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart.)

 

Ambler Borough, from 1886 until 1987, was the site of successive manufacturing operations that used asbestos. Those industries left behind asbestos-containing waste (ACM) that still remains on-site. The “White Piles,” also called the “Ambler Asbestos Piles,” were added to the National Priorities List (NPL, also known as, Superfund) in the early 1980s, remediated by EPA in 1993, and de-listed in 1996. However, another similar Ambler site called “Borit” was not included on the NPL, and has not been remediated.

 

In 2005, talk of development at the Borit site spurred residents to raise concerns about possible past or present exposure to asbestos fibers from the site. Community members, EPA and other state and federal agencies have worked cooperatively to address the condition of the site and the community’s concerns.

 

Air monitoring has been done and is still occurring to check for any airborne asbestos near the site. This sampling led PADOH and ATSDR to conclude that the site does not pose a health risk at present, but that remediation should be done to eliminate potential risk if the site were disturbed. Last summer EPA began work to address streambank erosion at the site under its Removal program. In September 2008 the Borit site was formally proposed for the NPL, and a final decision is expected in early 2009.

Ambler is not the only area in Montgomery County where asbestos manufacturing occurred.  Upper Merion Township, Norristown Municipality and Plymouth Township also had a total of five facilities. MCHD reviewed mesothelioma incidence from 1996-2004 in residents within 2 miles of all the known asbestos sites in the county, and compared that case rate with the rest of Montgomery County. MCHD found that residents living within 2 miles of the six Montgomery County sites had a higher incidence rate of mesothelioma than those living outside the 2-mile zones. The higher incidence rate was statistically significant for males but not for females, suggesting a historical occupational connection.

The health agencies believe that the increased rate is most likely due to exposures to asbestos that occurred in the past, when the facilities were operating.  Most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed 30 years or more after the first exposure to asbestos. MCHD wants anyone who worked in an asbestos facility or was a household contact of someone who did to be aware of their possible past exposure, discuss it with their doctor, and also take preventive steps to protect their health, as follow.

 

Smoking is known to significantly increase the risk of lung cancer in persons who have been exposed to asbestos fibers, so it is especially important for smokers in this population to quit smoking. MCHD can direct residents to smoking cessation classes and other resources to help them quit, many of which are free or low-cost. Getting a yearly flu shot is another important preventive practice for past asbestos workers. MCHD provides flu shots at annual flu clinics and at the Willow Grove, Norristown and Pottstown offices. Current information is available on the MCHD website: www.health.montcopa.org.

 

MCHD will continue to work with federal and state health agencies to keep the medical community aware of the asbestos history in our county.