When Is a Health Outcome Data Evaluation Conducted?
Considerations
Before recommending a review of health outcome data, a health assessor should confer with the site team and review the criteria as described in the Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual, Section 8.6 and in the ATSDR Guidance for Conducting a Review of Health Outcome Data. During these deliberations, the site team may consult with epidemiologists, toxicologists, community involvement specialists, statisticians, health educators, and other health professionals, as needed.
A health assessment team should consider the following issues when making the determination of whether to conduct a health outcome data review:
- Are there one or more current (or past) potential or completed exposure pathways at the site?
- Can you determine the time period of exposure?
- Can you quantify the population that was, or is being exposed?
- Are the estimated exposure doses(s) and the duration of exposure sufficient for a plausible, reasonable expectation of health effects?
- Are health outcome data available at a geographic level or with enough specificity (i.e., census tract or census block) to allow it to be correlated to the exposed population?
- Do the validated data sources or databases have information on the specific health outcomes or disease(s) of interest likely to occur from exposure to the site contaminants and are those data accessible?