After the first round of monitoring in the fall of 2002, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) recommended a second round of monitoring just for semi-volatile emissions such as naphthalene. These toxins are released as fugitive emissions at Omaha Steel, and since they are heavier than air, do not rise into the atmosphere. Rather, they hover near ground level and can be blown along the ground by the wind and thus reach populations at “nose level” near and far.

To ensure an accurate measurement of these emissions, Douglas County Health Department officials decided to use four monitors instead of three and for the first time to place at least one monitor on the ground near the plant. Monitoring took place last fall and the used monitors and filters were sent to the EPA’s premier lab, ERG, for analysis and interpretation.

A call to the Health Department several weeks ago revealed the ERG had “messed up” and the results are unobtainable. ERG claimed they didn’t know what happened, but provided a highly technical explanation for the failure from one of their lab technicians. EPA/ERG will be paying to redo the monitoring in exactly the same way it was done last fall, and monitoring will take place in the near future. The new equipment is in place and ready to go. Watch this newsletter for further updates.

This article originally appeared in the April[?], 2004, issue of the Missouri Valley Sierran