Women Smelter Workers Health Study To Be Released Bunker Hill Participants Already Received Own Results

The results of a study on the health of 108 women who worked at the Bunker Hill lead smelter is scheduled to be released during a public meeting Wednesday in Kellogg.

Draft copies of the study will be distributed to local libraries and the Panhandle Health District on Thursday.

The study was conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a branch of the federal Center for Disease Control.

While many studies have looked at how much lead Silver Valley residents have been exposed to, none have detailed the actual health problems of those residents.

Individual results from the health tests were released last year to the women who participated in the study. However, critics accused the ATSDR of malpractice for failing to provide a simple explanation of those results.

The ATSDR mission is to stop exposure to pollution and provide information to doctors about exposure. It does not provide medical treatment.

Researcher Wendy Kaye and health officials will describe the design and method of the study, what they found and what it means. They also will address questions from the public.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: PUBLIC MEETING A public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, in the Kellogg Middle School library.