June 2, 2003 (1)

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 2, 2003
For more information, contact Mary G. Walker, 877/511-2167 or 913/588-7188

KU Medical Center to Hold Public Meetings on Results of Southeast Kansas Health Study

Residents of Chanute, Coffeyville, Fredonia, Independence, and Sedan will have an opportunity to hear about and comment on study's results.

KANSAS CITY, KAN.-Researchers from The University of Kansas Medical Center will be in Independence, Kansas, on Tuesday, June 10 to hold two meetings on the results of the Southeast Kansas Health Study. Meetings will be held at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Civic Center of Memorial Hall, 416 Pennsylvania. Residents from the counties and towns involved in the study are invited to attend one of these important meetings. The study communities are Chanute (Neosho County), Coffeyville (Montgomery County), Fredonia (Wilson County), Independence (Montgomery County), and the control community, Sedan, located in Chautauqua County west of the study area.

Commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and conducted by KU Medical Center, the Southeast Kansas Health Study focused on investigating possible health effects related to the operation of four commercial hazardous waste burners and other sources of environmental releases located in southeast Kansas. The hazardous waste burners are operated by Ash Grove Cement Company in Chanute, Lafarge Corporation in Fredonia, Heartland Cement Company in Independence, and Safety-Kleen, Inc. (formerly known as Aptus/Laidlaw Environmental Services) in Coffeyville.

The six-year study, which began September 1997 and ends June 30, 2003, had three parts: 1) a respiratory health survey and medical evaluation, 2) an investigation of cancer incidence and mortality rates in the area, and 3) an air sampling and analysis study.

Community involvement in the design and performance of the study was a major objective of the project. To achieve that end, information meetings were held in each of the five study communities at the beginning of the study so that researchers could meet with residents, hear their concerns, discuss with them different aspects of the study, and take into consideration the information they gained at those meetings in developing the study's final design. When the study's design was completed, meetings were held again so that the study community residents could ask more questions and comment on changes in the design.

The June 10 meetings will be devoted to reviewing the study results and answering questions and concerns of study community residents and other stakeholders in the area. Two copies of the study's final report will be delivered to public libraries in the study communities following the meetings. As the final report's chapters are completed, they will be added to the study's website at http://www2.kumc.edu/ceoh/skhs.

Individuals who cannot attend the meetings on June 10 will have an opportunity to attend a third meeting to be held in Chanute, Kansas, towards the end of June. The date and time of that meeting will be announced through press releases and public service announcements. Individuals who have additional questions or concerns about the study can call the study team's toll-free number, 877-511-2167, staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or e-mail Mary Walker. The Southeast Kansas Health Study was a collaborative effort among researchers from KU Medical Center and the University of Kansas. Harold William Barkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., director of the Center for Environmental and Occupational Health at KU Medical Center served as the study's principal investigator and led the respiratory health study. John S. Neuberger, Dr.PH, KU Medical Center's Department of Preventive Medicine, led the cancer incidence and mortality rates investigation, and Dennis D. Lane, Ph.D., KU's Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, led the air sampling and analysis study.