Chicago, Illinois – An Environmental Protection Agency public health partner organization has issued a letter saying that the Chicago Oak Street Beach survey that came under fire several weeks ago used valid methods to assess the asbestos exposure risk at Oak Street Beach.

Early in March 2008, an EPA-affiliated scientist called for the beach to be retested after concerns about the validity of the initial tests.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reviewed the data collected in earlier tests and said that the detection methods used were “appropriate and sufficient to reach a public health conclusion.”

The dispute over the asbestos risk at Oak Street Beach began when University of Illinois at Chicago scientists conducted the tests in 2004, and found asbestos fibers in eleven of twelve samples taken from Oak Street Beach.

The results were of particular concern because the type of asbestos found detected in the samples was amphibole, which is believed to be the most deadly.

Exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of deadly diseases asbestosis and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that usually develops in the lining of the lungs, can develop after even low levels of asbestos exposure.

New tests ordered by the Chicago Park District in 2005 found only very low levels of asbestos, and Oak Street Beach was determined to be safe for the hundreds of thousands of beachgoers who visit each summer.

However, EPA-affiliated scientist James Webber, along with Illinois environmental group the Dunesland Preservation Society, had questioned the results of the 2005 Park District asbestos tests. In particular, Webber and the environmental group were concerned about who carried the tests out, and how they were conducted.

Webber and the Preservation Society believed that the methods used to carry out the tests were flawed because they were not sensitive enough to detect asbestos.

The ATSDR reviewed the tests, and concluded that asbestos levels detected at the beach were consistent with expected urban levels, and the methods used for the tests were valid, and sensitive enough to detect asbestos.

The Agency concluded that further testing was not needed.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Illinois. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.