Sugar Creek Outdoor Air Monitoring

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has recently completed monitoring outdoor air at a location on the 10000 block of Burton in Sugar Creek. This action was taken in response to odor complaints and to check for unhealthy pollutant levels in the air.
Monitoring was conducted on an every third day schedule for sixty days. Samples were sent to a laboratory for analysis, and a quality assurance review of the laboratory results was conducted. Sampling data should be available in June, however the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will then need time to review the data to see if it raises health concerns.
This first round of sampling is intended to determine if there are health issues related to the outdoor air levels at the monitoring location. The study will be made available to ATSDR after it is completed and the results checked. ATSDR will then conduct a health assessment. Decisions on additional sampling or other actions will be made after the assessment. The need to determine sources of pollutants, and developing a plan to do so, will depend on the results of this sampling.

Finding an appropriate monitoring site has been an important first step in this effort. The site was chosen near residences and as close as possible to the locations where most of the odors have occurred. Considerations for choosing the monitoring site included concerns with clearances from obstacles that would prevent good air flow and agreement with the property owner for installing and having access to the monitoring equipment on a regular basis. Additionally, the department cannot take regulatory action for sampling on the property of facilities that are the source of the pollutants. Taking all of these things into account meant that only certain locations were appropriate and available as possible locations for the monitoring equipment.

Air samples were collected in stainless steel canisters attached to a sampling device. The 6-liter canisters were specially cleaned at a laboratory. The sampling device used a pump and flow controller to force air into the canister at a constant flow rate over a 24-hour period. The sampling was programmed using an electronic timer. An elapsed time meter shows the total sample time during the programmed sampling event. Both the canister and the sampling device were enclosed in a small, locked equipment shelter that has heating and air conditioning to protect the electronics of the device. The canisters were collected between each run day and shipped to a laboratory for analysis. Wind speed and direction data were collected continuously with special instruments. The measurements were stored in a data logger that is also enclosed in the instrument shelter.

For More Information
Citizens can learn more about this plan and the procedures at the following locations:
Sugar Creek City Hall
103 S. Sterling
Sugar Creek, MO
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Monday through Friday

Kansas City Public Library
Sugar Creek Branch
102 S. Sterling
Sugar Creek, MO
Hours 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. — Monday through Thursday
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Friday
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Saturday and Sunday

For additional information about the monitoring program, contact either of the following:
Terry Rowles
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Air Pollution Control Program
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
1-800-361-4827 or 573-751-4817
fax: 573-751-2706

Rob Morrison
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Hazardous Waste Program
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
1-800-361-4827 or 573-751-3553
fax: 573-526-5268

Sugar Creek Outdoor Air Monitoring

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