16A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
POLLUTION
MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008
KC residents concerned about air quality
BY JOE PREINER
jpreiner@kansan.com
Air quality in and around the Kansas City area has become an issue of recent concern among residents. A survey conducted by the
Mid-America Regional Council released in February found 80 percent of people were concerned with Kansas City's air quality. According to the survey, more than half of the participants said the air quality was getting worse.
Tom Gross, air monitoring and planning chief for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the department worried about nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds affecting the air quality. He said the most
common forms of these pollutants were gasoline and industrial emissions from power and manufacturing plants. To combat this, he said numerous community-organized environmental programs had been established throughout the state.
KU LEARNING COMMUNITIES ...contributing to Student Success
www.lc.ku.edu
The Environmental Protection Agency recently imposed new restrictions on air quality control. The new limits require that cities and industries reduce their emissions and pollution from 80 parts per million to 7.5 parts per million, or by 6.25 percent.
Stan Loeb, environmental specialist with the KU Department of Environmental Health and Safety, said that the air pollution, or ozone, limit was lowered and the buffer around the previous limit no longer existed. He said that meant that exceeding the limit would now result in violations.
Mike Russell, KU director of environmental health and safety, said the new regulations had been enforced effectively.
Air quality is most commonly measured through the Air Quality index. The index does not address long-term air quality trends, but it does provide the public with a day-to-day evaluation of
current conditions. According to the Mid-America Regional Council's Web site, the Kansas City area is usually within the healthy range for
air quality
According to the Air Quality Index Table, the Kansas City area rates in the healthy range [0-50] at 39. The index provides the public with a day-to-day evaluation of current air conditions.
The University has its own air quality permit. Russell said the University currently emitted 60 percent of the limit allotted to them. He said one thing that contributed to the school's air quality successes was the upgrades made to the energy systems and equipment, which allowed them to burn fuel more efficiently.
Russell said activities such as biking, carpooling and riding the bus would all contribute to air quality improvement.
the AQI.
"Every little bit a person does helps," Russell said. "If just a few more
said. If just a few more people do these things every time it'll keep getting better."
Edited by Elizabeth Cattell
At Chevron, meeting the world's energy needs starts with innovative strategies and solutions. You can be part of a team of professionals working across a range of disciplines to develop them. With the latest technology and a collaborative environment, you'll have everything you need to reach your goals and truly make a difference. See how far your creativity and skills can go. Visit us on campus or online at www.chevron.com/careers.
Earth Science
Information Session September 22,5:30-8 PM 123 Lindley Hall
Interviews September 23 and 24
Petroleum Engineer/Drilling Engineer
Information Session September 17,5:30-7:30 PM Burge Union Interviews September 18
An equal opportunity employer that values diversity and fosters a culture of inclusion.
CHEVRON and HUMAN ENERGY are registered trademarks of Chevron Intellectual Property LLC. The CHEVRON HALI MARK is a trademark of Chevron Intellectual Property LLC © 2008 Chevron Corporation. All rights reserved.
Human Energy
Human Energy
Who is going to help discover the world's hidden reserves to meet an energy demand expected to increase 50% by 2030?
Join us, and you will.
1
4