1&OQQQQQR acknowledgements

Remarks made by Mr. Fishman of the state Health Department, at Riverwood II building on the campus of Medical Center, Wednesday, May 8, 1996 Toms River.

Len Fishman:

(Mr. Fishman started speaking before WOBM turned on the broadcast mike for him)

"Mr. Fishman: (?)...as you know... the .. of health is... of disease registry willl be conducting a study of the incidences of childhood cancer in Dover Township. The first step in that plan is to test and analyze the water in the township.

We started by testing the water in the 23 schools, public and parrochial and then we took samples from 9 wells and 9 points of entry in the water system. We tested water from every aquifer that serves Toms River. We have tested the water for more than 230 chemicals and rabiological compounds. We tested for volatile organics, such as paint thinners and wood preservatives, volatile and synthetic organic compounds such as platics and petroleum oil. Trace metals like lead and copper, and pesticides, asbestos, and radiologicals. I can tell you that there has never been a water system subjected to this kind of scrutiny. This was by far the most comprehensive, the most intensive, the most in-depth study of a public water system ever undertaken in New Jersey. We promised the committe that we would report back to them on the reults. and we are doing that today. Tonight we are going on Channel 8 for a two-hour interactive show.

We will present the results and then open up teh line for viewers' calls. We will answer the questions as best we can (on) the test results and on teh tests that are not yet ready.

So this afternoon we want to present the findings to you and answer your questions. Some of our tests are not yet complete and we will talk about them in a few moments.

Based on the results we have at this point, I can tell the residents of Toms River that their water is safe. You can continue to drink your water, bathe in it and cook with it. Your water meets federal standards and our even more stringent state standards for water quality in virtually all areas.

As I said, we tested for over 230 substances. There are three substances where the levels in the water taken at some locations exceeded what we call Guidance Levels, or Standards. That means their presence triggers futher action on our part.

Let me explain what that means: to of teh three substances are lead and copper. We found that in wather samples taken from six out of 23 schools, there were elevated levels of lead when the samples were taken as first draw. This means there were elevated levels when the samples were taken first thing in the morning, after the water sat in teh pipes overnight. When we flushed the system, that is forcing water through teh plumbing system, in every case the level of copper and lead dropped dramatically, and were well within the standard.

To make sure that no one is drinking this first draw of water, we asked the schools thad had elevated levels to begin a flushing program; That means the water in the schools should be run one minute every morning to flush the copper and the lead from the system and the schools have readily agreed to do this.

Now to the radiologicals, that's the third of the three substances that I mentioned. Back on April 17 you remember that we told you that preliminary tests showed levels of radiation that triggers an action level. THis means that we need to do further tests and these tests are being done right now. split samples have been sent to the department of Environmental Protection (DEP) lab, to the US department of Environmental Protection lab in MOntgomery, Alabama; also a private lab under contract with United Water and we should be getting the results back soon. There are no new results for today. Leslie McGeorge who I'll be introducing in a few moments from the DEP will summarize the results which we gave to you on April 17. For those of you who havent quite memorized what was said on April 17, Leslie wil walk through the information we have currently on the radiologicals in the water.

Now I will ask you to remember what we said about the radiologicals back on April 17. Exposure to radiation and radioactive materials is a daily ocurrence for all of us. We are exposed to radiation in the air we breathe, the food we eat, from the sun and of course from the water we drink.

Spikes in radioactivity are not unique. We pointed that out as well on April 17. We have seem them in other parts of the state. The health risk at the federal standard of radioactivity is this: a person drinking two liters which is 68 oz, or eight and a half glasses of water each day for seventy years, would increase his or her risk of getting cancer by one in ten-thousand.

Let me say this again: if the level of radiation is at the federal standard the increased risk can be expressed as follows: a person drinking two liters, 68 ounces or eight and a half glasses of water each day for seventy years would increase his chances by one in 10,000. Now we know for sure that the elevated levels of radiation in teh water samples are from naturally ocurring sources, such as the decay of radium in the Cohanson(?) Aquifer. The levels that we found as Lesley Mc George will expalin, did not fail the drinking water standard. They did, however, trigger additional testing which we are now doing and as soon as we have these results we will share them with the citizens committee and then of course with the press.

So let me repeat what we said so far: We've tested the water for over 230 substances. Only three substances registered at the guidance level or standard. the presence of two substances, lead and copper are easily fixed. In fact, we've already done so by asking the schools to flush their system which the schools are doing. In the meantime, I want to re-state and emphazise thare is no reason to stop using drinking, cooking in and bathing in the water in Toms River.

This system is being tested for even the most minute trace of chemicals, in fact we sent two teh Center for Advanced Food and Technology at Rutgers University, samples, for very sophisticated analyses of chemicals that include dyes and bi-products of the dye manufacturing process. Many of these chemicals are not even regulated, but in the interest of being as comprehensive as possible we are testing for these chemcals as well. We expect those tests to be completed within the next few weeks, and will tell you the results, again, after conferring with the citizens committee, which should be, as I said, within the next few weeks.

Let me put these water results in context and come back to where I started: The water tests are the first step in a series of steps in a study that the Department of Health with the assistance of the EPA, together with the Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is conducting into the incidences of childhood cancer in Dover Township. We've been working hard with ATSDR eand the citizens ccommittee to develop what we call a "Public Health Response" that will spell out teh scope of this study. We already set up a field office in this building in Community Medical Center as a work site for the staff involved in thisat public halth reponse plan, and Joe Kolikowski(sp?) from the Department of Health is heading up that office. I don't know if Joe is here - is Joe with us? No? ... Must be in the field office on the third floor. Hi, how you doing, Joe?

Let me remind you that this draft Public Health Response plan outlines the following items: First of all, let me say that the study is likely to take six to nine months, but that length of time could be expanded if warranted. We will check and examine all data on contaminants fromt he Ciba-Geigy and Reich Farms Superfund sites. We're going to obe working closely with ATSDY and the EPA and the Citizens' Committee as well, the Ocean County Health Department; which has been extremely helpful in the work that we've done, and we will compile a complete verified list of children ages 0-19 living in Dover Township when diagnosed with Cancer since 1979. We will also interview the families of childhood cancer victims in order to generate hypotheses about possible causes for the forms of cancer that have increasd rates. We will inititate education programs for public health officials and the County and New Jersey will be included in what is now a seven-state ATSDR national study of brain cancer incidences near Superfund sites.

This is a very complete (?) study as you can see, and will reqire a tremendous effort. Let me close by saying that we have committed Federal and State resources to conduct this study and we will do our best to find answers. Cancer is a complex number of diseases and in many instances there is no single cause. But we began this study with an open mind and a comittment to examine all relevant information. We will do this together. The County, the State, and Federal Government and the Citizens' COmmittee.

At this time, I want to introduce Leslie McGeorge, director of the Division of Sciences and Research at the EPA. She will present more detailed findings. I should mention also that Leslie McGeorge was the the coordinator for the New Jersey Water standard which in many cases are a good deal more protective, more stringent than Federal ones.

nces registered at the guidance level or standard. the presence of two substances, lead and copper are easily fixed. In&w&, &4>8R\  -! ##%%t&v&&  Arial Rutgers University, samples, for very sophisticated analyses of chemicals that include dyes and bi-products of the