October 5, 2006

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has released a Public Health Consultation regarding soils next to Muskegon County’s Little Black Creek. Exposure to the soils poses no apparent public health hazard. MDCH, along with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), sampled floodplain soils along areas of the Little Black Creek that could be easily accessed by the public.

MDCH recommended floodplain soil sampling to determine if flooding events had transferred unsafe levels of contaminated sediments to surrounding soils.

The soils were tested for PCBs, pesticides, volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, and metals. The concentrations found are not expected to cause adverse health effects.

Copies of the Public Health Consultation are available at three branches of the Muskegon County library:

•Norton Shores branch, 705 Seminole, Muskegon

•Egleston Township branch, 5428 E. Apple Avenue, Muskegon

•Muskegon Heights branch, 2808 Sanford Street, Muskegon Heights

Copies are also available at the city offices for Norton Shores, Muskegon Heights, and Muskegon Charter Township. The document is available electronically at http://www.michigan.gov/mdch-toxics under “Health Assessments and Related Documents.”

The MDCH Division of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology conducted the Public Health Consultation for the Little Black Creek sediments under a cooperative agreement with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Information concerning the human health effects of exposure to environmental contaminants can be found on the ATSDR web page at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html.