Citizens Learn Air Sampling

Community groups in Louisiana and California have been using a simple method of collecting contaminated air samples called the Bucket Brigade. Now, citizens from industrial communities in Harris County have this powerful tool to show what chemicals are in the air they are breathing.

Approximately 70 people (including 6 from Mothers for Clean Air) attended the first Harris County Bucket Brigade training on a rainy Saturday in October. Denny Larson and Ann Rolfes of Communities for a Better Environment explained the construction of the bucket and how to use it. The name, Bucket Brigade, comes from a five-gallon plastic bucket that holds a special, non-reactive plastic collecting bag. Stainless steel valves and a vacuum pump allow the contaminated air to enter the bag when the valve is opened. After a sample has been collected, the bag is removed from the bucket and sent to a lab for analysis of toxic chemicals in the air. The bucket method is approved by the EPA and is much less expensive than its stainless steel counterpart. It is well-suited for citizen collection of air samples during an "upset" or unpermitted release. Neil Carman, Clean Air Program Director of the Lone Star Sierra Club, says it is the "ideal method for people on the fenceline." For more information about the Bucket Brigade, see the website www.bucketbrigade.org.

Ms. Jane Dale Owen of Citizen's League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) generously sponsored the training event and donated several buckets and analyses for citizen use. Assembling a bucket costs $200 - $250 and analyses can cost as much as $500 each or more. CLEAN will be presenting a seminar on the Bucket Brigade at Christ Church Cathedral on Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00PM. Questions? Call 713-524-3000.

Speaking of Health Effects...

Dr. Edward Brooks, pediatrician, and Dr. Sharon Petronella, epidemiologist, spoke at a September Mothers for Clean Air meeting about asthma and air pollution. Dr. Brooks talked about the physiology of asthma and compared the inflammation of the small airways, which is characteristic of asthma, to sunburn. Sunburned skin is more sensitive to touch, just like asthmatic airways are more sensitive to challenges such as allergens, air pollution, and infections.

Dr. Petronella discussed the evidence for an association between air pollution and asthma and allergies. She said that viruses cause most exacerbations of asthma but that air pollution triggers seven to ten percent of asthma exacerbations. She also said that although there is no consistent data for the acute effects of ozone, there is some evidence for long-term adverse effects on lung function. Dr. Petronella mentioned that urban areas have higher rates of pollution and allergic rhinitis (runny nose) suggesting a link between air pollution and allergies.

Dr. Brooks and Dr. Petronella will be speaking again on November 28 at 7:00 PM at the Ramsey Community Center. Call 713-526-0110 for directions.

Air Pollution Slows Lung Growth

Common air pollutants slow children's lung development over time, according to results from the Children's Health Study, conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC).¹ John Peters, M.D., D.Sc., USC professor of preventive medicine and one of the study authors, says, "Long-term exposure to air pollution has long-term effects on children's lungs, and the effects are more pronounced in areas of higher air pollution."

Normally, children's lung function grows steadily as they age. The researchers showed that as children grow, those who breathe smoggier air tend to lag in lung function growth behind children who breathe cleaner air. They also found the association with air pollution to be stronger in children who spend more time outdoors, which is consistent with an adverse effect from outdoor air pollution. The study noted that children with decreased lung function may be more susceptible to respiratory disease and may be more likely to have chronic respiratory problems as adults.

^{1 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2000 October; Vol.162(4 Pt 1):1383-90.}

^{EPA Environmental Justice Grant Awarded to MfCA}

For the second year in a row, Mothers for Clean Air has been awarded a grant from the EPA Office of Environmental Justice. In 1999, a $20,000 grant was used to develop a chapter of Mothers for Clean Air in the Fifth Ward, an inner-city community northeast of downtown. This year, a second $20,000 grant from EPA will be combined with a $25,000 grant from the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation (NAFEC) to expand our efforts into Southeast Houston.

MfCA has contracted with Linda Block, a bilingual environmental educator with experience in environmental justice, to help citizens educate themselves about local air issues and take actions that lead to improved air quality in their community. One of the tools the Southeast Houston chapter will use to identify the toxic chemicals in their air is the Bucket Brigade (see page 1).

Continental Approach to Pollution Solutions

by Linda Block

Linda Block attended a conference on community-industry relationships in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. She wishes to thank the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation for financing her way. This is her report.

At the Forging Alliances to Prevent Industrial Pollution Conference, Canadians, U.S. representatives (including myself), and Mexicans were gathered, not to discuss arms and territory, but to share knowledge and experiences around issues of industrial pollution controls and environmental effects.

In 1984, an accidental release of toxics from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India killed thousands of people. Since then, the US, Canada, and Mexico, have developed systems to track pollutants released from industry and to make that data available to the general public. In the United States, this is referred to as the Toxics Release Inventory and the Right To Know Act. In Canada and Mexico, the names vary but the program goals are the same. Companies now self-report levels of toxics released to air, water, and land, injected under ground, or transferred off site. In the US and Canada, this is required by law. In Mexico, the program is voluntary.

Some industries have gone beyond requirements and developed their own Environmental Management System (EMS). EMS is an internal management plan that includes objectives and timelines for continuous improvement, source reduction of pollutants, worker health, safety and training, community outreach, and ways to meet or exceed regulated standards. A study showed that those companies with working EMS plans have been able to meet economic as well as environmental and social goals and have improved relationships with stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and the community. Often these industries go beyond compliance.

Why should an industry want to invest in such internal clean up efforts? The goal is eco-efficiency - every dollar spent and every person-hour invested must benefit the business and the environment. On an average, after three years the improvements pay for themselves. Incentives and awards are available for those who go beyond and more rewards will be developed.

At this conference, it became obvious that despite cultural and economic differences between countries, Canada, the US, and Mexico had important information to share and each had much to learn from the others' experiences. Pollution follows no boundaries, nor should the solutions.

Air Quality Basics

Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)

Most people in the Houston eight county non-attainment area (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller) know that it is number one in the country for ozone pollution, measured by the number of days over the federal health standard. Some people even know that ozone is the result of a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But have you ever wondered where those VOCs come from and if they can be harmful even on the days they don't form ozone?

Well, listen up America! The Houston area is number one in the country for ozone pollution AND Harris County is number two for releases of toxic air emissions (many of which are VOCs). In 1998, industries in Harris County reported 25,783,150 pounds of toxic chemicals released into the air, following Tooele County, Utah with 57,697,790 pounds.¹ The eight-county area reported 44.2 million pounds of toxics emitted into the air in 1998. (See Table)

These figures come from the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), a publicly accessible database of toxic chemicals used, manufactured or processed by industry. Federal law requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain this database of approximately 600 designated toxic chemicals. Although there are tens of thousands of chemicals manufactured today, only a limited number have been tested sufficiently to indicate they may be harmful to human health and therefore need to be reported.

The latest TRI data is from 1998 because industries were required to report their emissions for that year to the EPA by July 1999. The EPA released those reports in September 2000.

EPA requires manufacturing facilities having 10 or more full-time employees that manufacture or process over 25,000 pounds or use over 10,000 pounds of the designated chemicals to report their releases annually. Facilities must report toxic releases to air, water and land as well as releases that were sent off-site to another company, a hazardous disposal site or recycling facility.

It should be pointed out that the TRI is a self-reported estimate of releases from a facility. EPA does not require toxics to be monitored so estimates may be more than or less than the true releases. Some facilities may not report all their releases and some may not report at all. Therefore, although somewhat useful, this system could result in under-reporting of emissions by industry.

It is also important to note that TRI data are reports of emissions only, not a measure of exposure. Releases are reported as annual estimates, which do not specify whether the emissions were released evenly over a one-year period or all at once.

The EPA calls the TRI "a public report card for the industrial community." Citizens can learn about what is being released and where it is going on the EPA website: www.epa.gov/tri/. The Environmental Defense's Scorecard website: www.scorecard.org also includes rankings on community health risks. Citizens' groups can use this "Right to Know" information (www.rtk.net) to begin a dialogue with industry in working toward a "good neighbor agreement." They can also verify the existence of reported and unreported chemicals in the air using the 'Bucket Brigade" (see page 1).

^{1 from EPA website: www.epa.gov/triexplorer/geography.htm}

^{Bayport is not a Done Deal}

^{Last November, voters passed a Port of Houston Authority bond issue to build a container terminal at the Bayport Channel. Building a terminal would create more air pollution from ships, cranes, trains and 7,000 diesel trucks per day servicing the port.}

^{The Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association (GBCPA) is hoping an Environmental Impact Statement expected in May 2001 will stop Bayport. GBCPA has prepared a 15 minute film showing how container ports destroy neighborhoods and damage air quality. The film is available to groups by calling Natalie O'Neill at 281-326-1933.}

^{Buy Nothing Day: November 24}

^{Buy Nothing Day is the first day of the holiday shopping season, the day after Thanksgiving. It is a day of cheerful but critical protest against the inequitable distribution of wealth worldwide and the influence advertising has on our lives. In some cities, anti-consumer activists cut up credit cards and distribute "gift exemption certificates." (See www.adbusters.org/campaigns)}

^{It is easy to participate in Buy Nothing Day. Don't go shopping! Instead reflect on how much cleaner our air would be if we did less manufacturing, packaging, transporting, and disposing of things we don't really need.}