Ah, the fresh air of rural areas.
Because it’s generally perceived to be clean and healthy – and marketed
as such – rural air quality is rarely tested, unless an obvious problem
develops.
A group made up of representatives of western environment organizations
think more should be done.
Terry Hanley, manager of Saskatchewan Environment’s ecological
monitoring section and a member of the group, said it’s time rural
residents know exactly what’s in their air, and whether odours and
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contaminants are affecting their health or are simply a nuisance.
The group will look at things like ammonia from fertilizer application,
hydrogen sulfide from the oil and gas industry, and particulate matter
from dust and forest fires.
“Currently we don’t do any kind of substantive monitoring,” Hanley
said. “Generally air quality testing has been urban.”
He said the group will be like a rural network, set up to look at
seasonal impacts, what the wind blows in and whether contaminants are
naturally occurring or caused by human activity.
A recent example highlights the need for more knowledge, he said.
Last month, Kipling area residents Dwayne and Mary Kovach complained
that fumes from a nearby hog barn sent them to the hospital.
The Kovachs live about two kilometres from a barn with 17,000 hogs and
have had to leave their home several times because of the smell.
Saskatchewan Environment has been monitoring the situation for about a
year, Hanley said, looking particularly at hydrogen sulfide levels.
“They’re certainly below occupational health standards but also well
above the detectability level,” he said.
“It’s probably decreasing the quality of their life.”
But he said the levels indicate there would be no direct health effects
on the couple.
The current occupational health standard for hydrogen sulfide is 10
parts per million.
“We’re getting right now averages of .05 on hourly averages at the
farm,” he said. “The detection level is .009.”
The highest levels are recorded between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Hanley said officials have a good handle on the hydrogen sulfide, but
need analysis on what else is in the air and where it is coming from.
There is oil and gas activity in the area, as well as sloughs that can
emit odours from anaerobic decomposition.
The barn is owned by P.I.C., a Kentucky-based company. Hanley said the
company has been a good corporate citizen, going as far as to put the
Kovachs up in a motel at times.
Monitoring will continue as officials determine the complete range of
contaminants, their sources and what steps could be taken to improve
the Kovachs’ quality of life, he said.
