U.S. EPA on manganese levels in air

EAST LIVERPOOL -Manganese levels in the air near LaCroft Elementary in East End may be a health hazard, according to the Ohio and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Three air monitors were previously placed around the school by the state, but earlier this year the EPA installed their own air monitors.

Manganese is a naturally occurring metal and is typically used for making stainless steel and aluminum alloys. It is also a trace element necessary for proper human function. While the human body does need manganese to survive, high levels of manganese can cause mental and physical health problems, including hallucinations, forgetfulness, nerve damage, bronchitis, impotency, Parkinson's disease, insomnia and even schizophrenia.

According to U.S. EPA Official Jaime Wagner, the EPA began their own air monitoring investigation after USA Today launched an air quality investigation around the nation in 2008.

While the USA Today air study relied on a good model for screening air toxics, it wasn't the best, Wagner said. The Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model used by USA Today was very basic, "which didn't give you very much information," she said. Schools across the nation were ranked from worst to best in air quality.

"The RSEI model is good for what it is, but they didn't use it for it's intended purpose. Because of that we decided that it would be in our best interest to go ahead and look into this and do our own analysis. Our modeling analysis is more robust and includes more sources," Wagner said. Sources effecting air quality in the study range from large industrial plants to vehicles.

Wagner also said schools across the nation were chosen in rural, urban and suburban areas in order to determine whether concentrations of air toxics were really a concern. "We (wanted a good) cross-section of what the nation is made up of," she said.

A list of the selected schools and their assessments can be found on the U.S. EPA Web site www.epa.gov/schoolair. According to the EPA, LaCroft Elementary was chosen for monitoring because it is located near at least one large industry that is a source of toxics emissions. "Based on emissions from nearby sources, EPA identified key pollutants in the air near this school," the assessment report indicated.

Ten air samples were taken over a period of time at the school, beginning in April of this year. Of various pollutants measured, manganese ranked the highest out of the 10 samples. Samples were compared to the EPA sample short-term screening level considered safe. Out of the 10 samples, one was above the safe screening level of 500 nanograms per cubic meter. Samples ranged from as low as 44.4 nanograms/cubic meter to as high as 621 nanograms/cubic meter (this was the sixth sample taken).

"The rest of the samples are obviously below (the screening level) but that's not to say that we are just writing (the highest one) off," Wagner said. While all 10 samples have been collected from the school, the EPA is still in the process of performing an analysis on the school. Factors such as wind speed and direction will be taken into consideration to determine where high manganese values are coming from, she said. The analysis is slated to be completed in 2010. Long-term values will be included in the report as well. Wagner said long-term exposure is generally measured over a period of 70 years. "It seems really long, but that's just the way it is measured. Short-term exposure might make you cough or make you sick, but you also have the effects of breathing it for your whole life, (and those) effects can be very different."

As far as locating a source of manganese in the area, Wagner said the EPA doesn't want to point any fingers until they know for sure. "Once the analysis is done, hopefully we can pinpoint what the sources may be. Either the federal or state EPA can go and do inspections at (suspected) facilities," she said.

If a company is in compliance with their permits, then "we don't have a lot of room to make them do anything," Wagner said. However, Wagner added that the EPA has received positive feedback from companies willing to voluntarily reduce emissions.

"This is getting a lot of press. It's kind of a big deal. Companies are usually pretty willing to work with you because they want to be seen as good neighbors. If there is a determined problem we can work with them to reduce emissions."