Annual Report 2008

The Wichita Air Quality Control program has been in existence for thirty seven years. The core program consists of air monitoring activities; inspection of air pollution sources; and investigation of complaints related to air pollutants such as smoke, hazardous materials, dust, and indoor air quality. The primary goals of the program are to control air pollution sources in Wichita and Sedgwick County and to prevent degradation of the quality of our air, thus protecting the health of citizens of the City and County and adding to the quality of life enjoyed by all.  The Air Quality Program is funded through a combination of state (KDHE) and federal (EPA) grants, with additional funding provided by the City of Wichita.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution is one of the greatest known environmental risks to human health. The list of health problems brought on or exacerbated by one or more airborne pollutants include: lung diseases (emphysema, bronchitis), lung cancers, bronchial asthma, and eye and respiratory tract irritations. Fine particles in the air cause many illnesses and deaths annually. In addition, ozone reduces our ability to fight respiratory infections and frequent exposure to ozone may cause permanent lung damage. Breathing the air in an urban area is a risk factor for all of the above. This is probably due to the mix of man-made pollutants typical of urban air. Individuals with asthma, allergies, emphysema, and other respiratory problems are more at risk than the general population. The American Lung Association (ALA) states that the annual health costs of human exposure to outdoor air pollution sources in the U.S. ranges between $40 and $50 billion, with an associated 50,000 to 120,000 premature deaths. These numbers do not include indoor exposures.

The Air Quality Control section monitors ambient air for criteria pollutants in accordance with regulations set forth in the federal Clean Air Act.  The Wichita-Sedgwick County metropolitan area continues to be in compliance with federal standards for all six criteria air pollutants. The criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide, ground level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, and particulate matter) are air pollutants for which EPA has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

The urban area air monitoring network consists of twenty-one monitors measuring ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates and radiation at eight sites throughout the City and the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).  (See air monitoring site map and current air quality data.) Previous monitoring has shown that ambient lead and sulfur dioxide levels are quite low. Our sampling has also shown that the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOX) is well below the federal standard.  However, these compounds are important to continue measuring since they are involved in the formation of ground level ozone.

There are approximately 250 facilities that had air pollution permits in Wichita and Sedgwick County as of December 2008.  Of these, 101 were inspected during the calendar year. These inspections were required annual inspections plus evaluation inspections of new or modified sources. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 require complex inspections of many of these sources. Consequently, inspections are more thorough and take longer to complete than in the past.  There are 21 large facilities that have Class I permits and 42 facilities that have Class II permits.  All of the Class I facilities are inspected annually and the Class II facilities are inspected on a rotating basis as are the smaller facilities (B sources).  Air quality staff also conducted 108 inspections for asbestos containing materials at demolition sites in the City and County.

The Air Quality staff received approximately 2400 requests for service in 2008. Of these, 1926 requests were for information or investigations concerning indoor air quality problems.  Most of the citizens who contacted us wanted current information on indoor environmental issues.  The most common concerns expressed by citizens pertained to biological contaminants (mold/fungi/sewage), carbon monoxide, radon, formaldehyde, asbestos, and lead.  Of the requests received, 363 involved on-site investigations by air quality staff, with 239 investigations involving indoor air quality. The balance of the requests dealt with smoke, dust, asbestos, chemical odors and other issues.  Although staffing and funding levels have remained level, citizen requests for services were almost 30% higher than in 2007, and have steadily increased over the past decade.

The increasing number of indoor environmental requests received by the Air Quality program over the past several years coincides with the growing importance of asthma as an issue for local, state, and federal environmental and health agencies across the country.  Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children, affecting the lives of nearly ten percent of all children in the United States. Researchers believe that many of the environmental factors that contribute to development of asthma and that trigger asthma attacks are associated with indoor sources of air pollution. Asthma also affects the quality of life for families of asthma victims.  According to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the estimated economic impact of asthma during the year 2000 was $12.7 billion in the United States.

The air toxic program continued to collect samples of urban air to identify and measure many trace pollutants typically found in urban air.  These urban air pollutants are commonly called smog. The Wichita air toxics program is one of the oldest in the country and has been measuring levels of air toxics since 1989. Although there currently are no ambient air standards for these toxins, the 1990 Clean Air Act has begun to set some control standards for various types of air toxic sources.

In 2008, a trend analysis of air toxic sample concentrations was conducted by the local air quality program in conjunction with the Kansas University Medical School-Wichita.  Results of this analysis showed which compounds are most frequently found in our urban air, which compounds have the highest concentrations, and which compounds are found at levels exceeding health thresholds.

In addition to being used in ambient sampling for air toxics, our specialized monitoring equipment is used extensively for indoor air sampling, and to assist as part of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Hazardous Materials Team in response to chemical spills and releases. The Health Department members of the HazMat Team are assigned to the command team and also as second responders. As secondary responders we enter spill sites with fire teams to help identify and quantify toxic chemical spills and releases. We also help conclude HazMat incidents by ensuring that the contamination zone is safe before allowing public access to the site. We have also been involved in the recent emphasis on chemical and biological terrorism preparedness and have upgraded our detection capability to include these threats.

The Air Quality Program goals are achieved by working cooperatively with other public sector agencies, citizens, and private sector partners. The Air Quality Improvement Task Force is a part of this effort.  Through a combination of education, enforcement, and cooperation we can reduce air pollution and protect citizens and the environment in Wichita and throughout Sedgwick County while providing a good climate for industry and economic growth.