State Renews Effort to Protect Rural Air Quality Near Large Animal Feeding Operations

DES MOINES — The Environmental Protection Commission will be asked to decide whether to proceed with a recommendation by the DNR to establish health standards for hydrogen sulfide gas near large concentrated animal feeding operations.

The commission meets at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 15 at the Ingram Office Building, 7900 Hickman Road, in Urbandale.

The DNR is proposing the health standard for hydrogen sulfide gas in the air at rural homes and other public building that meet the legislative definition of separated locations to protect Iowans living near large concentrated animal feeding operations.

The standard would be used in evaluating monitoring data to determine if hydrogen sulfide levels near structures that meet the definition of a separated location near some of the largest concentrated animal feeding operations pose health risks to citizens.

"The Legislature asked the DNR to study rural air quality near large concentrated animal feeding operations and we are responding. We have monitored hydrogen sulfide since April of 2002, but haven't had a health standard approved to compare the data to. We need an agreed upon health standard to measure against that data," said Wayne Gieselman, head of the DNR's environmental programs.

He said the monitoring study is not looking at small or medium farms, but measuring hydrogen sulfide at homes near some of the largest animal feeding operations in Iowa.

The DNR is proposing a health standard of 15 parts per billion that could not be exceeded more than seven times a year measured at those homes, churches, schools and other public facilities that meet the definition of a separated location, as required by the legislature.

The health standard would help gauge the quality of rural air, but does not restrict farm emissions. As required by law, should the health values be exceeded, then programs and plans to reduce emissions would be enacted after December 1, 2004. Any proposed methods to reduce emissions would be devised with expert technical advisory groups.

If approved by the state environmental protection commission, Iowa would be the 28th state to adopt hydrogen sulfide standards. The Iowa proposal is neither the most stringent or most lenient and is based on recommendations by Iowa State and the University of Iowa after reviewing scientific reports.

"The bottom line is we need to be able to protect rural Iowans from breathing unhealthy levels of hydrogen sulfide gas. We have monitoring data, but need a standard, then if concerns are found, we can work with agricultural researchers to explore cost-effective measures to ensure clean air," said Gieselman.

"We don't know yet if there is a problem or not," he said.

Last year the state Environmental Protection Commission passed rules to set standards for ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, but intended the rules to affect not only air near animal feeding operations, but statewide. Lawmakers nullified that effort as too broad. The new standard applies only to air near large animal feeding operations at separated locations as required by earlier legislation.

The DNR is continuing an aggressive research project of odor around livestock facilities. This data collection study can help decision makers, researchers and others foster recommendations on how to better control odors and determine if odor control regulations are needed.

A fact sheet detailing the proposed health standards can be found at the DNR’s website at http://www.iowadnr.com/air/afo/files/H2Sfactsheet.pdf.

For more information, contact the DNR's Brian Button at 515-281-7832.