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Site Assessment Section

What we do
The Site Assessment Section is a program within the Office of Environmental Health Assessments.  Staff determine public health impacts associated with exposures to toxic substances released into the environment, usually at specific hazardous waste sites, throughout Washington State.

What is a Health Assessment?

Health Assessments

Health Consultations

A Health Consultation is an evaluation of sampling data collected at a hazardous waste and sometimes, industrial sites. The data are evaluated to determine whether exposure to chemicals found at a site might cause harmful health effects. The Health Advisor who prepares the Consultation looks at past, present and future exposures. Once the evaluation is completed, the Health Consultation will have specific recommendations on how to protect public health.

Recent Health Consults

Health Consultation, Budd Inlet, Olympia, Washington (pdf 31 pages)

Summary of Results of the Duwamish Valley Regional Modeling and Health Risk Assessment (pdf 42 pages)

Duwamish Valley Regional Modeling and Health Risk Assessment (pdf 163 pages)

How we do it
A request or petition for an evaluation of a hazardous waste site comes from local, state and federal agencies or concerned citizen groups.  The evaluation determines if exposure to a hazardous substance is occurring and what the health impact may be.  The evaluation is prepared using the following elements:

1. All existing environmental and health data are reviewed.
2. Community health concerns are collected.
3. A document (a Public Health Assessment or Health Consultation) is prepared to summarize evaluation findings and make recommendations.
4. Staff coordinate activities with the parties involved at the site, while keeping the community and health professionals informed of potential health risks through education and training.
5. The completed evaluation is presented to the interested parties.
6. Depending on the recommendations, staff follow up with the appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure that the public health issues have been addressed.

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Washington State Department of Health 
Division of Environmental Health
Office of Environmental Health Assessments
PO Box 47846 Olympia, Washington, 98504-7846
1.877.485.7316

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