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WATER GREMLIN PUBLIC H.EA.LTH A.SS:ESSMENT: PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT Ix. Responding to Community Concerns Over the course of three years, MDH staff coordinated and collaborated with many partners and stakeholders to engage community members that live near and are concerned about environmental releases from the Water Gremlin facility: These collaborations included state agencies (mainly the MPCA and Department of Labor and Industry),. county public health, city and #ownship government, and community advocates. ManychanneIs for communication were established arid used for various audiences and different topics. A general email address a.nd phone line were widely promoted as.a mechanism for the. public to contact MDH about this site. Calls a.nd.ema1Is were logged,.shared with partners as needed to develop responses, and used to identify topics of growingconcern to be addressed by communication:and outreach efforts.a.nd.produets. in a year's time starting on) anuary 31, 2019, MDH staff recorded 13.3 inquiries from individuals concerned about the site, Staff acid partners attended several, large community -wide meetings, met with selected audiences and, local officials on many occasions, and participated in regular meetings with an advocacy group (the Neighborhood Concerned. Citizens Group [NCCG]) over the course of.severa1 years thus. far. To.offer opportunities for community members to ask their questions.more.d1rectl.y and privately, MDH and MPCA staffheld a series of listening sessions at different. locations. in the area. Translated materials (in Hmong, Spanish, Karen, and Somali) were provided to ensure company employees.had access to understandable information. News media coverage and interviews with community members provided further examples of questions, comments, and concerns expressed by people who wanted to know if or believed.their health was affected in ways thatwere.or could. be attributable.to contaminants from the site. MDH also responded to questions.frorn health care providers about health effects of TCE inhalation and.the advisability of seeking testingfo.r patients. The following lists; organized by whether the issues.are addressed in the PHA document or beyond its scope, summarize the main categories of topics and gives examples of the questions, requests, and comments communitymembers .shared . A. Community Inquiries Topics addressed in. this document • Biological testing: How to -get tested to assess exposure to TCE; inquiries about and requests for community -level screening for such exposure, • Health studies: Requests for health effects surveil[ance in the surrounding community; requests for health studies to assess. the.consequences of site contaminants in the community; questions about the Minnesota Cancer Reporting System:data for the community. Health effects, Reports of symptoms or diagnosed health problems (various cancers,.skin irritation, asthma, etc.) --usually accompanied by questioningWhether effects could be caused by anything released from the.faciIity; requests for explanation of potential risk for and type of health effects possible for people living atspecific [ocations.during spec.ific:time periods; requests for information or'advice .about health concerns from and among former Water Gremlin employees or their family members. • Environmental ..contamination. Requests for more detailed accounting of how much TCE was released to air and when; requests forinformation about how much TCE (or tDCE) was present.in air at specific locations and times;. questions about potential impact of airborne TCE on the so![ and 46