SEMI ANNUAL REPORT JANUARY-JUNE 2009

Palm Beach County Health Department Air Pollution Control Program

Included in this issue
Air Quality Index Outreach Pollution Prevention (P2) Mobile Sources Compliance Air Quality Other Programs

The purpose of this report is to sum-

marize the accomplishments of The Palm Beach County Health Departments Air Pollution Control Program, and share information regarding new developments and issues related to air quality.

50
Good
Moderate

100

150

200
Very Unhealthy

Unhealthy for Unhealthy sensitive groups

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a uniform method of reporting daily air pollution levels along with associated health effects. Air pollution levels are obtained from PBCHDs network of monitors on a daily basis. An AQI value is determined for each of the monitored pollutants, and the highest value is used to describe the air quality for the day. The AQI is provided 7 days a week, and can be obtained by calling (561) 8375092 or visiting the PBCHD web site: http:// www.pbchd.com

Air Quality Index

Number of Days in AQI Category January- June 2009

25

0 156

Good Moderate Unhealthy

Clean Air Month Outreach Events Clean Air Month Proclamation

recommended by the vehicles manufacturer. Also in May, Lincoln College of Technology offered a free emissions test for everyone. This test involved inserting a probe into the tailpipe of the subject vehicle and reading the results on the diagnostic machine. This test was performed every Thursday during the month of May.

Left to Right Jim Stormer (P2), Selva Selvendran (P2), John OMalley EH&E Director, Commissioner Steven Abrams, Jon Barlow (P2) & Kai Jones (P2). P2-Pollution Prevention May - Clean Air Month Clean Air Month was kicked off this year with a Proclamation Ceremony at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 5th. This year, the proclamation was sponsored by District 4 Commissioner Steven Abrams. There were two Brown Bag Lunches held at the Department of Health at 901 Evernia Street on May 12th and May 26th featuring two videos. An Inconvenient Truth was shown on May 12th and Earth II, which was featured on the Discovery Channel, was shown on May 26th. Both events Nature Scaping 2009 were well attended. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Tire pressure checks were done for anyone Over 300 nature lovers of all interested on May 13 at 901 Evernia Street. ages attended nature scapMaintaining correct tire pressure is a measure ing 2009. PBCHD EH&E staff by which fuel efciency can be improved. This passed out various informaevent started in the morning and ran until 12:30. tion about ways to go green, In that time, 35 vehicles were inspected for alternative energy, and other under-inated or over-inated tires then were health related materials. either lled or deated to appropriate levels as

PBCHD was one of many partners participating in a contest to build awareness and increase the use of the EnviroFlash system among people who need it the most- individuals vulnerable to poor air quality. EnviroFlash is an important free air quality alert tool for communities across the nation. EnviroFlash is a simple and convenient e-mail alert system that delivers air quality information straight to your inbox. Subscribers sign up, ll in their email address and zip code and receive color-coded alerts about their local air quality. This service was promoted at all of the outreach events. During the contest running time Palm Beach County enrolled approximately 300 new subscribers for this service. For more information please log onto www.enviroash.info

EnviroFlash (www.enviroash.info)

Palm Trans New Hybrid Bus.

School Outreach events- Golden Grove Elementary and Emerald Cove Middle School. Exposing young minds to better health practices.

P2 members were given the opportunity to test ride one of three new hybrid buses from Palm Tran. Hybrid buses are 23 percent more fuel efcient than regular buses. Palm Tran hopes to have one third of their eet hybrid buses in the near future for signicant fuel cost savings. Palm Tran also uses Biodesiel fuel and nitrogen in their tires as they continue to go green.

Earth Day Celebration at the new West Palm Beach Public Library

oor of the new library at city center. Coloring books and brochures on ways to sustain the Earth were handed out to those in attendance.

Earth Day was celebrated during story time in the childrens department on the third

PBCHD Air pollution control program visited seven libraries in Palm Beach County during Clean Air month. Books and pamphlets promoted a variety of ways to control air pollution.

Mobile Sources
Efforts continued in the promotion of the State of Floridas Anti-Idling policy. Brochures have been distributed on several occasions and representatives from the PBCHD have initiated outreach events with trucking companies, individual truck drivers and private citizens around PBC.
IDLING REDUCTION PROGRAM

New Air Monitoring Station For Belle Glade

On April 1, 2009, a new air monitoring trailer was established at the C. L. Brumback Health Center in Belle Glade. The air conditioned trailer houses a state-of-the art analyzer to monitor ne particulate matter (PM2.5) on a continuous basis. Previous PM2.5 monitoring at this site was based Hey Heavy Haulers on a manual sampling methodology that required Got Your Ears On? lter collection and analysis to determine PM2.5 concentrations. With the continuous PM2.5 analyzer, data is available on a real time basis. Current PM2.5 values in the Glades Area are now transmitted to PBCHD headquarters in West Palm Beach on an hourly basis through a data acquisition system. In the near future, this data There were several grant opportunities available will be made available to the public on a real time during this quarter. The two major ones were basis on a Florida Department of Environmental the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Protection Agency web site. (ARRA) offered through the Southeast Diesel Collaborative, which is part of the EPA Region 4 and the Stimulus Package Funding offered through the Clean Cities Coalition, which is part of the Department of Energy. There was also a smaller grant made available through the Southeast Energy Efciency Alliance (SEEA) which offered cities and counties in the southeast PBCHD also has a continuous PM2.5 site located US up to $500,000 to create and implement a in Royal Palm Beach, FL. Establishing the Belle community energy alliance. All of these funding Glade site exceeds federal requirements which opportunities are part of the federal stimulas specify only one continuous PM2.5 analyzer package to make America greener. for the urban area. While the Glades Area is not considered urbanized, there are signicant There were no winning projects in Palm Beach sources of PM2.5 in the area (primarily related to County for the SEEA grant and the winning the sugar industry) that warrant monitoring. proposal for the ARRA and stimulus funding Also, in 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection awarded $500,000 to the City of Charlottesville, Agency tightened the 24-hour PM2.5 standard North Carolina. from 65 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3) to 35 g/m3. While it is not anticipated that the The DEP instituted a new program in order to area will violate the standard, it is likely that there reduce the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) will be more days where the AQI will be in the emissions. Under this new program, diesel Moderate Range due to PM2.5. Based on the engine owners can receive, free of charge, health effects associated with PM2.5 exposure, diesel engine retrots up to $3,400 per person. there is an advisory associated with the Moderate Range that cautions unusually sensitive people (e.g., cardio-vascular disease) to consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.
Ant-idling Facts
Cars, truck, busses and other mobile sources are the number one source of air pollution in Palm Beach County. Like driving, idling releases emissions into the air. Unlike driving idling is not necessary. Idling waste fuel and money.

Idling is Harmful.

Idling is harder on engines than restarting or driving.

Modern Diesel engines do not need to be warmed up more than the manufactures

time (usually five minutes) except in extremely cold conditions.

I D L I N G R E D U C T I O N P R OG R A M

Particulate matter levels can

be four times higher inside bus

Palm Beach County Health Department Mobile Source Air Pollution Control Program Engineering

than in the vehicle directly in front.

Division of Environmental Health and Phone: 561 -355-3070

Diesel engines emit more than 75% of all fine particulates from vehicles in the US.

Fax:561- 804 -9405 E-mail: jon_barlow@doh.state.fl.us

561-355 -3070

Permitting & Compliance

Improved Outreach Program

Four Mobile Home Parks (MHP) have been found in violation of National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP),The Federal Asbestos Rule, in the last few years. The violations involved failure to conduct required asbestos surveys and/or failure to provide the Palm Beach County Health Department with proper prior notice of the renovation and/or demolition activities related to mobile homes or other structures at the MHPs. These violations created a need to educate these facilities with respect to their obligations under the Asbestos NESHAP rules. They apply to certain renovations and any demolitions of structures, including mobile homes, even when the survey nds no asbestos containing materials.

For further information and clarication of the Federal Asbestos Rules, contact: Asbestos Coordinator (561) 837-5900 Fax (561) 837-5295

Health Hazards Associated With Asbestos Exposure Exposure to asbestos bers can increase your chances of developing a number of serious diseases. Most of these diseases occur in the respiratory tract (lungs) and are caused by inhaling microscopic asbestos bers. These diseases include: Mesothelioma- a rare and usually fatal cancer of the tissues lining the chest cavity and organs. This disease can develop as a result of very low exposure to asbestos bers. A single ber can be sufcient if it penetrates the mesothelium or pleural lining of the chest cavity. Lung Cancer- a serious and often fatal illness that can develop after moderate exposure to asbestos bers. Asbestosis- a severe scarring of the lung tissue which reduces lung capacity and restricts breathing. Usually caused by heavy exposure to asbestos bers. One characteristic shared by all of these asbestos-related diseases is a very long latency period. Latency refers to the period of time between the exposure to asbestos bers and the onset of illness. Asbestos-related diseases often take from 15 to 40 years to develop.

The Air Pollution Program has taken the initiative to contact all MHPs in the county to inform owners and operators involved in renovation-demolition projects of the Notication Requirements that apply to MHPs as regulated facilities under the NESHAP Federal Asbestos Rule.

Air Quality
Palm Beach County Finally Goes Tropical Since the end of May, when the rains began, Palm Beach County has gone tropical. We are nally seeing mold spore counts typical of the south Florida area during the rainy season. The highest mold spore count we have seen since the record keeping began in the mid-1990s occurred on May 27, 2009, when we recorded a mold spore count of 30,000 spores per cubic meter (sp/M3) of air sampled. Since that date, the mold spore count has uctuated between 12,000 and 18,000 sp/M3. On Monday, June 29th the count was >15,000 sp/M3 (18,000). We attribute this more realistic record of mold spore activity to a number of factors; mold generally becomes more active during damp, warm, low-light conditions which are typical of rainy-season summer months. Sometimes we will also see an increase of mold activity during the winter months in south Florida right after a cold snap, followed by rainy days. During these favorable growth conditions, there tends to be lots of leaf litter from wind and cold damaged trees that provide food for mold. Mold thrive on cellulose, which is why you will often see mushrooms, bracket fungi, rust fungi, citrus mold and bread mold growing on woody, vegetative, citrus and ower-based food substrates. But what we often overlook are cellulose substrates in our building materials. Wallboard has a paper backing on one or both sides that, when damaged by water, will promote mold growth within 48 hours of being dampened. Paneling is made of wood or wood products; carpeting has a hemp (or rope-like) backing; ceiling tiles may be made of sawdust, wood ber or other paper material; insulation may be made of cellulose ber or a paper-backed berglass. Each of these becomes a smorgasbord of cellulose treats for mold growth. It is natures way of reducing dead wood.

Mold Spore Count (Previous 24 hr period ending 5.27.09)

30,000 Sp/M3 air

(Spores per Cubic Meter of Air)

Cause: recent rains, dry leaf litter, low sunlight conditions

Palm Beach Countys Normal Range: < 7,000 Sp/M3 air We also attribute more reasonable mold spore levels to the new location of the sampler. At the old PBC Airport location, the sampler was surrounded by concrete runways and roadways, and it was located closer to the ground. Typically, it is more desirable to sample air well above the ground and away from individual source inuences when sampling air for representative pollen and mold spore counts in a community. At the 45th Street Clinic, the sampler is three stories off the ground, so ground inuences are eliminated. The clinic is nestled in the middle of a more residential community with many different species of trees and shrubs in all compass directions around it, and well above the tallest trees in the area. So the sampler is now sampling ambient air more closely resembling most areas of Palm Beach County. Even the pollen counts have ventured into the moderate count range more often at this location. Additionally, during relocation to 45th Street, we found that the samplers air ow rate had diminished. We have since increased it back to the appropriate ow rate so we are, again, sampling the correct volume of air each time it begins sampling. If you would like to monitor the Air Quality Index, pollen and mold spore counts, you can either visit the Health Departments AQI home page at http://pbchd.com or access the automated AQI report at (561) 355-3962. Have a good day and enjoy south Floridas good, clean air.

Air Quality Index 2009 Good Range Moderate Range Unhealthy/Sensitive Range %Good

January February March April May June 25 28 30 21 31 21 6 0 1 9 0 9 0 0.81 0 1 0 0.97

July 07-June 08 290

0 0.7

0 1

0 0.7

Air Pollution Control Activity Summary Facility Inspections: All licensed and permitted air pollution facilities are inspected annually. Sources out of compliance may receive additional inspections. Compliance Investigations: All air pollution complaints are investigated and resolved or referred to the appropriate agency. Open Burning Inspections: PBCHD authorizes open burning for land clearing purposes. Each project is inspected to ensure air pollution compliance. Asbestos Inspections: The air program is committed to inspecting at least 75% of all asbestos abatement and demolition projects. Permit Requests and Plan Reviewed: PBCHD has been delegated the authority to issues State permits for certain classes of air pollution sources. PBCHD also issues County licenses and approves plans for vapor recovery installations at fuel dispensing facilities. Enforcement Actions: Actions range from warnings under a notice of noncompliance to cases resolved through the Environmental Control Hearing Board or negotiated through consent agreements. Enforcement Penalties: This shows total penalties collected for air pollution violations. All penalty monies are deposited in Palm Beach County Pollution Recovery Trust Fund.

July 08- June-09 254

35

147

345

183

46

35

34

36

$119,530

$68,166*

* Does not include Pollution Prevention Projects worth $12,947 & $4,000.

Palm Beach County Health Department Division of Environmental Health And Engineering 800 Clematis Street PO Box 29 West Palm Beach, Fl 33402 (561) 837-5900