USA Today report raises concern, skepticism

By Tim Krohn
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO January 07, 2009 10:18 pm

— A study showing high rates of air pollution near many schools is raising concerns and questions about the validity of the assumptions made.
USA Today’s special project “The Smokestack Effect, Toxic Air and America’s Schools” shows many Mankato schools as being among the worst in the nation for unhealthy air outside them.
The conclusions are based on emissions primarily from two large soybean-processing companies in Mankato — CHS and ADM.
CHS officials said their emissions are significantly below required government standards and they are confident they cause no risk. (See related story.)
USA Today, in partnership with several universities, conducted an eight-month study. They used the government’s own computer model simulation that predicts the path of toxic chemicals released by companies.
In Mankato, several schools ranked in the 2nd or 3rd percentile nationwide for poor outdoor air quality: Fitzgerald, Franklin, Immanuel Lutheran, Monroe, Mount Olive, Riverbend and Washington. If a school is in the 3rd percentile, it means only 2 percent of the schools in the nation have worse air quality.
Other Mankato schools ranked from the 6th to 20th percentile.
“I think we should all be concerned about it obviously,” said Mankato Supt. Ed Waltman. “But I don’t have the answer.”
The study used reports companies are required to file with the Environmental Protection Agency that show how many pounds of various toxic pollutants they release into the air.
In Mankato, four major contributors are releasing a variety of pollutants into the air, the reports show. CHS (formerly Honeymead) releases 560,250 pounds per year; ADM releases 282,488 pounds; Dotson foundry 2,186 pounds; and MGA Graphics 125 pounds.
Kari Palmer, an environmental research scientist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, said she is skeptical of the report for a few reasons.
“Our general take is that the EPA model they use is a very broad-brush look at things.”
She said it is puzzling that schools near each other could have significant differences in their percentile rankings.
“We don’t exactly understand the modeling and why some schools near each other rank so differently,” Palmer said.
And she said the study was done using only “point-source” pollution — pollution coming from factories.
“It doesn’t include (pollution from) transportation or gas stations. A lot of air pollution comes from those sources.” The state estimates that 40 to 50 percent of volatile organic chemicals in the air come from cars, trucks and buses.
Because of questions by school administrators across the state, the MPCA is sending letters to all superintendents. The letter says the agency is evaluating how the report compares to state monitoring data.
“Our initial analysis indicates that the emissions data used by USA Today may contain errors,” said the letter from Assistant Commissioner David Thornton.
“Minnesota consistently ranks in the top 10 states for air quality,” he wrote.
The MPCA does a lot of air monitoring of toxic chemicals in the Twin Cities area but little or none in most outstate cities.
The USA Today story said children are more at risk when breathing emissions, particularly any heavy metals, because their brains are still developing.
“Reports from polluters themselves often indicated a dozen different chemicals in the air. All are considered toxic by the government, though few have been tested for their specific effects on children,” the article said.
Philip Landrigan, a physician who heads a unit focusing on children’s health and the environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said in the story that the issue should be taken seriously.
“The mere fact that kids are being exposed ought to be enough to force people to pay attention. The problem here is, by and large, there’s no cop on the beat. Nobody’s paying attention.”

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