In September 2005, some concerned Walker residents contacted the Arizona Department of Health Services in regards to the quality of groundwater in the area. The residents petitioned ADHS to perform well water tests to determine the character of the water, and whether there is any potential health risk associated with consuming or using the water. In response to the concerned community members and in agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ADHS collected water samples from the site and completed a health consultation. This health consultation evaluates if the levels of lead and other metals in the private wells in Walker area pose any adverse health effects.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality asked the Arizona Department of Health Services to evaluate the health threat to residents from exposures to ash fallout from a fire at an asphalt plant located on the Salt River Indian Reservation in Mesa, Arizona. The facility has recently been bought by Vulcan, Inc. The site is located just north of the Salt River between Dobson and Alma School Roads. April 13, 1999.

In September 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contacted the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health, concerning potential contamination of private drinking water wells along Lynx Creek in the Walker, Arizona, mining district. Historical mining activities in the area might have resulted in contamination of groundwater by acid mine runoff as well as metals from extraction processes. EPA and ADHS determined the historical mining activity had caused environmental damage and the potential for adverse human health impacts. ADHS initiated a private well sampling program to determine if the mining activity has had an adverse impact on the quality of water from these wells. Several area residents have expressed concerns about their water quality. The objective of this public health consultation is to evaluate the potential for health effects from exposure to contaminants in private drinking water wells in the Walker, Arizona area.

The Arizona Department of Health Services was asked by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to evaluate the potential health effects from inhalation of toxic vapors as a result of an unplanned, concentrated nitric acid release. According to Hudson Farms, at approximately 1 pm on July 1st, concentrated nitric acid began escaping from a small leak in a 33,000 gallon storage tank. By 4:30 pm, the first responding fire department units observed an orange colored plume that was moving with the wind direction. The large plume continued to dissipate throughout the area until about 8:30 pm that night. Small amounts of nitric acid that was generally restricted to the Hudson property continued to leak until approximately 8 am the morning of July 2nd when pumping of acid waste waters into emergency storage tanks was completed. It is estimated by ADEQ that a total of 4,0 00-4,500 gallons of concentrated nitric acid was released from the storage tank. Approximately 600 people from the town of Laveen and the Gila River Indian Community were immediately evacuated. Residents were allowed re -entry to their homes the following day, July 2nd at approximately 10 am.

The objective of this assessment is to evaluate whether a public health hazard exists as a result of environmental exposures in Hayden and Winkelman, Arizona, located near a smelter operated by ASARCO, Inc. Some of the residents of these towns have expressed concerns that metals from smelter emissions over the years have been causing health problems. This report uses environmental data collected from water, soil, and air in the Hayden and Winkelman area to estimate environmental exposures. The study also evaluates available health outcome data from previous epidemiological and biological-monitoring studies conducted in the area. The report concludes that exposure to sulfur dioxide occasionally poses a short-term public health hazard to sensitive asthmatics. These episodes of higher levels of sulfur dioxide occur infrequently. They do not appear to pose a health hazard to persons without sensitive airways or asthma. Other environmental exposures do not appear to pose a public health hazard.