The purpose of this report is to document the evaluation of the public health effects of the air emissions from the Central Garden and Pet Supply Warehouse fire that was verbally provided during the response efforts to the fire event. The facility contained a variety of lawn and garden supplies including pesticides, herbicides, and pool maintenance chemicals. The fire also involved a portion of a pharmaceutical supply firm which contained medical supplies ranging from liquid and pill-form medicines to sterile syringes and other physical supplies.

In August 2001, a resident of New River contacted the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health to request information on the health risks of arsenic in drinking water. The resident collected two well water samples and submitted them to a private laboratory for arsenic analysis. The analyses detected arsenic at 560 and 600 μg/L. To confirm these very high arsenic results, ADHS staff sampled the well for arsenic and submitted the samples for analysis by the ADHS State Laboratory. Arsenic was detected at 340 μg/L. After that, a large number of people requested health advice on arsenic in their well water. This public health consultation primarily evaluates arsenic levels found in private wells and documents health advice provided to well owners. When other metals were found at levels of concern, health advice was provided to well owners regarding exposure to those metals too.