MEDICAL COSTS AND LOST PRODUCTIVITY FROM HEALTH CONDITIONS AT VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND-CONTAMINATED SUPERFUND SITES

This paper estimates the health costs at Superfund sites for condition s associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. Health conditions were identified from published literature and regis try information as occurring at excess rates in VOC-exposed population s. These health conditions mere: (1) some categories of birth defects, (2) urinary tract disorders, (3) diabetes, (4) eczema and skin condit ions, (5) anemia, (6) speech and hearing impairments in children under 10 years of age, and (7) stroke, Excess rates were used to estimate t he excess number of cases occurring among the total population living within one-half mile of 258 Superfund sites, These sites had evidence of completed human exposure pathways for VOCs in drinking water, For e ach type of medical condition, an individual's expected medical costs, long-term care costs, and lost work time due to illness or premature mortality were estimated. Costs were calculated to be approximately $3 30 million per year, in the absence of any remediation or public healt h intervention programs. The results indicate the general magnitude of the economic burden associated with a limited number of contaminants at a portion of all Superfund sites, thus suggesting that the burden w ould be greater than that estimated in this study if all contaminants at all Superfund sites could be taken into account. (C) 1998 Academic Press.