Hazardous Sites & Substances
- Hazardous Sites & Substances
- Hazardous Waste Sites
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- Choose Safe Places Minnesota
- Environmental Exposures Grand Rounds
- Exposure and Health Investigations
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Related Topics
- Water Contaminants and Your Health
- Cancer and the Environment
- Fish Consumption Guidance
- Children's Environmental Health
- Air Quality by Topic
- MN Public Health Data Access Portal
Environmental Health Division
Contact Info
Reporting Concerns:
What can I do if I am worried about a chemical exposure?
MDH can assist the public with health-related questions about environmental exposures.
- Environmental health scientists in the Site Assessment and Consultation Unit (SAC) can provide information about how chemical exposures affect your health and possibilities for controlling or preventing exposures that might be harmful.
- SAC staff can also help you find resources for more information or determine if your situation needs to be investigated by an agency that has regulatory authority. These agencies include the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and some local governmental offices.
- SAC also responds to requests from doctors and other health care workers. Health professionals can contact SAC scientists directly with questions regarding chemical exposures and the potential health effects. We can provide assistance with how to identify patients’ chemical exposures and suggestions about preventative measures.
If you have information about an emergency or are concerned about a release of hazardous materials that is in progress, please call the Minnesota Duty Officer at:
Weekdays: 651-649-5451
Toll-Free: 1-800-422-0798
Satellite Phone: 1-254-543-6490
For chemical spills or issues you think violate environmental rules or law: Fill out a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency online complaint form on their e-Services:Citizen complaints page.
For pesticide problems: File a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture using their Pesticide and Fertilizer Misuse Complaint Form.
To request an investigation or technical assistance: Call the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)'s toll-free information line, 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737), or send an email to ATSDRIC@cdc.gov. The SAC unit at MDH is funded in part by and receives technical assistance from ATSDR.
Be sure to include the following in your request:
- Your name, address and phone number
- The name, location and description of the facility or chemical release you are concerned about
- As much information as possible about how you or others were exposed to the chemical
- A request for MDH or ATSDR to investigate the exposure.