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WATER GREMLIN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT: PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT surrounding the Water Gremlin facility and these continue to.sam.ple:the air for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including TCE and t-DCE. MDH summarized public health data from the M1nnesota.:Can.cer Reporting system, the Birth Defects Information System, and the Blood Lead Information System to respond to questions -about health. irnpacts.in the`surrounding community and the workers:at the facility. By analyzing this data, it was. discovered that some Water Gremlin Workers were inadvertently expos ing.their families.to take=home lead contamination from the workplace. M D H and many partners coordinated. and -co Ilaborated on .numerous community involvement and engagement activities. Other state agencies, county public health, local government, and community advocates contributed. Outreach activities included public meetings, office. hours, one-on-one outreach to contact affected community members and their families, and providing translated materials. in Hmong, Hispanic, Karen, and Somali. B. ConclusiOns M D H reached seven main. conclusions regarding potential exposures. to contaminants from Water Gremlin: The basis for eachconclusion is described at the end of this. Public Health Assessment, starting on page.50. 1. Past TCE air emissions may have harmed some people's health. 2. Past or current.t-DCE and lead ail- emissions are not' expected.to'harm people's health.. 3. Groundwater contamination is not expected. to harm people's health. 4.. Soilvaporcontamination is not a riskat properties near Water Gremlin. .5. Soil, sediment, and surface water contamination from Water Gremlin. doesnot pose a health risk in.the community. 5. Indoor air at the Water Gremlin facility maybe harming or may have harmed worker's health. 7. Indoor air at the Water Gremlin facility maybe. harming or may have harmed worker's stealth. 11. Air Emissions The primary way environmental contaminants leave the Water Gremlin facility is via air emissions. Past TCE emissions befo re.Ja n u a ry 2019 were. both above permitted levels and. expected: to have exceeded health -based values in ambient air surrounding the facility. Modeling of TCE emissions was done in February 2019 to.communicate to the. community the nature. of the release and potential dispersion to the surrounding neighboth nods. .1n March 2019, Water .Gremlin replaced TCE with t-I]CE and reduced total emissions. Since March 2019, air monitors measured levels of VOCs and lead. in air on Water Gramlin's %property. This section discusses the air emissions, both past and present, and provides an assessment of health risk. The TCE: and :t-DCE sections were first posted on the.M.DH website. in September2019 and May 2020, respectively: At the time ofthis writing,. the MPCA is continuing work to develop a new air permit for the Water Gremlin facility. The.purpose of the new permit is to limit emissions to meet environmental regulations and to be protective of human health. The permit review process includes. analysis of a.mblent air quality impacts from the facility including all sou rces.of lead emissions. MDH evaluation of amits ions.allowed by the new air permit is beyond the: scope of this health assessment.