MDCH: Comments Requested on Public Health Assessment

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is requesting public comment on the Public Health Assessment for Ruddiman Pond and the Main Branch of Ruddiman Creek in Muskegon County.

The assessment looks at the amount of chemicals remaining in the sediment of the pond and the Main Branch of the creek after the dredging and restoration work done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2006.

Certain chemicals including lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found in some sediment in the area. Although samples exceeded health-based screening level in some cases, because the chemicals were found in deeper areas of the pond, it is not expected that residents will experience enough exposure to harm their health.

Chemicals levels were not elevated in all samples, and the potential for contact with sediment containing these chemicals is low. Children and adults wading through the creek are unlikely to be at risk of harmful exposure.

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