November 19, 2018

OHA sets community meeting November 29 to discuss Precision Castparts public health assessment

PORTLAND, Ore.—The Oregon Health Authority has scheduled a community meeting to share the findings from a public health assessment at Precision Castparts Corp. in southeast Portland.

The meeting is Thursday, Nov. 29, 6-8:30 p.m., in the library at Lane Middle School, 7200 SE 60th Ave., Portland. Environmental health experts from the OHA Public Health Division will provide an overview of the public health assessment’s findings, which found low health risks from contaminants detected near the facility. They also will provide an overview of the public health assessment development process and answer questions from community members.

The agenda is as follows:

• 6-7 p.m., open house.
• 7-8:30 p.m., presentation and Q&A session.

There are other opportunities to provide comments on the assessment and get more information:

• Visit the OHA Precision Castparts environmental assessment webpage at http://www.healthoregon.org/pccpha for more information.
• Provide public comment by Jan. 15, 2019, by email at ehap.info@state.or.us, or by mailing comments to OHA at 800 NE Oregon St., Suite 640, Portland, OR 97232.
• Pick up a copy of the assessment at Woodstock Library, 6008 SE 49th Ave., Portland.
• Attend other community meetings: Dec. 4, 6 p.m., Milwaukie City Council meeting; Dec. 6, 7 p.m., Brentwood Darlington Neighborhood Association meeting.

The Precision Castparts PHA, released Oct. 29, found that measured concentrations of metals and other chemicals in air, soil and water near the metal components manufacturer’s Southeast Harney Drive facility were below levels that would be expected to harm public health.

The findings reflect conditions since 2016, since they are based on environmental samples collected in 2016 and 2017. The report found that a quantifiable evaluation of potential health effects from previous exposures to the metals and other chemicals was not possible due to a lack of historical sampling data from before 2016.

The public health assessment is available on the Public Health Division website at http://healthoregon.org/pccpha. For more information, email ehap.info@state.or.us.

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Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Julie Sifuentes at 971-673-0438, 711 TTY, julie.sifuentes@state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

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