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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-07-27 City Council Minutes Approved 0S. 0o 0 11: City Council Study Session Minutes—July 27, 2009 At 7:30 p.m. Mayor Maxwell called the regularly scheduled study session of July 27, 2009 to order. Kevin McKeown, Nick Petrish, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Bill Turner, Cynthia Richardson and Brian Geer were present. Air Quality Presentation The Mayor introduced Peter Browning, Director of the Skagit County Health Department. Mr. Browning was invited to address the questions, "Do we have clean air in Skagit County?" and "Do we have higher rates of cancer?" Mr. Browning requested that the Washington State Dept. of Health perform a cancer study for specific census tracts. He introduced Polly Dubbel of the Skagit County Dept. of Health to discuss the results of the study. Ms. Dubbel explained that the data for the study come from the Washington State Cancer Registry which is a data set that is open to the public and available on line. Lung and bronchus cancer were selected as the best indicators of impacts from air pollution. The study looked at all census tracts in the City of Anacortes and calculated the cancer rate in those tracts averaged over the five-year period 2001-2005. In those tracts 89 cases of lung and bronchus cancer were reported as diagnosed in that time. The study then compared the Anacortes results to the average reported cases for entire state in same period (standardized for population size)which was 106. The Anacortes rate was lower than the statewide rate but the difference is not statistically significant. Mr. Turner noted that cancer incidence is related to long term exposure and asked if the study looked at how long those diagnosed with cancer had lived in Anacortes. Ms. Dubbel responded that detailed epidemiological studies can sometimes do that but the current study did not. Ms. Dubbel agreed cancer can be related to exposure to carcinogens many years prior to onset of the disease and also that cancer is the product of many interacting causes. Mr. McKeown noted that there are a number of potential point sources of carcinogens in Anacortes such as refineries, diesel tankers, farmland and fertilizer, etc., and asked if the study took into account those factors. Ms. Dubbel responded that the numbers are what they are and that the study cannot determine the exact cause of any of the cancers though for lung and bronchus cancer there is a strong link to cigarette smoking. What the study shows is that compared to the state overall, we aren't diagnosing any more cases of cancer in Anacortes than elsewhere in the state. Mr. McKeown noted that wind can affect air quality and asked whether Anacortes has air quality monitors in place to determine when air quality is good or bad. Ms. Dubbel deferred that discussion to the next presenter. Mrs. Pickett noted the counterintuitive pattern of high and low risk clusters reflected on the maps presented. Mr. McKeown asked about the uncolored areas on the map. Ms. Dubbel explained that the uncolored areas report cancer at the same rate as the state average. Mr. McKeown asked about the impacts of secondhand smoke and Ms. Dubbel responded that it has been well studied and has been demonstrated to increase the risk of lung cancer. Mr. Geer asked if the State Cancer Registry includes all different types of cancer and how Anacortes and Skagit County compare to the state average for cancers other than lung and bronchus cancer. Ms. Dubbel did look at several other cancers (breast, leukemia, overall) and Anacortes was right in the average for all of them. Mr. McKeown asked how those numbers compare to national averages. Ms. Dubbel did not look at national averages but noted that the State Cancer Registry does provide some comparisons with national averages. The Mayor introduced Mark Buford from the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA)which has been the local air quality monitoring organization for Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties for over 40 years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delegates authority to maintain and regulate air Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 27, 2009 1 quality through the State of Washington to NWCAA. Mr. Buford was invited to discuss the December 2008 USA Today article about air quality in schools. He invited Madonna Narvaez, Air Toxics Team Leader from U.S. EPA Region 10 to address the article from a national perspective. Ms. Narvaez explained that the USA Today story looked at Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) results, comparing schools nationwide to a single school in Ohio using the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model. However, the TRI data has some drawbacks: it includes only industrial sources of pollutants, limited categories of pollutants, etc. The RSEI model is designed to look at a facility or group of facilities in an area and help determine which of those to target for additional monitoring. It isn't designed to look at cumulative impacts of exposures. The USA Today article worked backwards by looking at particular schools and trying to determine what impacted them; the RSEI model doesn't work that way. The RSEI model also combines cancer risk factors with non- cancer hazards. The resulting USA Today article was somewhat alarming so during confirmation hearings for EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Congress asked the EPA to further investigate the story. Because of the drawbacks in the USA Today article methodology, the EPA used the National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) model instead of RSEI. NATA is based on actual emissions from facilities of all sizes as well as natural occurrences such as wildfires and mobile sources of air pollution. NATA also looks at actual resulting concentrations of pollutants, not just emissions at point sources. In the Pacific Northwest where we don't have the same heavy industry as back east the major sources of air pollutants are mobile (diesel, cars) and wood stoves. The EPA model does not yet recognize diesel particulate matter as a carcinogen though it is considered a hazard risk; sufficient analysis to designate it as a carcinogen has not been completed. The State of Washington, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and the State of Oregon do now consider diesel particulate matter to be a carcinogen. Mr. McKeown referenced a 2006 Seattle Times article that attributed air pollution in Anacortes to idling oil tankers. In response, Mr. Buford stated that our air is healthy and clean and that in forty years we have never exceeded an ambient air quality standard. The NWCAA places air quality monitors where it thinks the air quality will be worst, e.g. March's Point. The NATA study Ms. Narvaez is discussing is based on 2002 data. Since 2002 benzene emissions from local refineries have dropped 30%, sulfur dioxide emissions have dropped 87%, and new rules rolling out now are going to reduce the amount of benzene in gasoline so automobile emissions will be cleaner as well. Regarding tankers and other ships that burn diesel, they are out of NWCAA's jurisdiction. They are nevertheless of concern so NWCAA participates in initiatives to drive down those emissions as well. Ports up and down the west coast are working together to establish standards for ships and shipping so air quality can improve without giving one port an advantage over another. Mr. McKeown asked what sorts of anti-pollution steps are being taken for tankers. The Mayor noted that Washington State Ferries has adopted low sulfur fuels. Mr. Buford repeated that new methods are still being rolled out and mentioned that Los Angeles is installing mobile ducts to collect emissions from tankers in its harbor. Ms. Narvaez noted that her unit is working with ports on those kinds of issues and that Pamela Emerson at EPA would have more information on that topic. Mr. Turner asked if any of the models consider prevailing wind direction and strength so we would know if we have air quality problems in our local schools or not. The Mayor advised that later presenters would address this issue. Ms. Narvaez agreed that meteorological data is very important and is considered in the NATA model. She stated that the EPA is collecting data from two schools in Washington this summer and expects some preliminary results this fall. The public can follow the study at www.epa.gov/schoolair. She noted that the USA Today article lists Anacortes schools in the top 5000 schools (out of 128,000 nationally)so EPA did not choose to include them in the study. The Mayor advised that the Anacortes School District has performed its own air quality study so we do have data about our schools. The Mayor also mentioned that the public can find out more about the National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants on line (www.epa.gov/nata2002). Mrs. Richardson asked for confirmation that diesel is not currently recognized as a carcinogen by EPA but is still regarded as a health problem. Mrs. Narvaez agreed; her agency recognizes diesel particulate matter as a health problem and is working to quantify standards for it. Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 27, 2009 2 Mr. Adams noted that the local refineries have made big strides to reduce air pollution over the 50 years they've been here and we will continue encouraging them to do so. Mr. Adams also noted that there are natural causes of air pollution such as wild fires and the public needs to minimize risk by using personal protective equipment. Mr. Geer asked if the RSEI model is available on line. Ms. Narvaez confirmed that it is. In response to a question from Mr. Geer, Mr. Buford clarified that the RSEI model is based on TRI data which are problematic. The NATA model includes mobile sources and wind directions and actual toxic emissions when those are available. NWCAA requires actual emissions data from point sources. Mr. McKeown asked if the NATA data includes diesel emissions. Mr. Buford clarified that it includes diesel emissions from stationary sources but not from the smokestacks of ships themselves which are considered mobile sources. Ms. Narvaez stated that there is a separate model that takes into account mobile sources, Mobile 6, and a newer one in development which will be called MOVES. Mr. Buford mentioned that NWCAA is particularly concerned with schools and has just completed a retrofit of school buses throughout its jurisdiction through grants from EPA and also has an indoor air quality program for schools. Mrs. Richardson asked where NWCAA monitors air quality on March's Point. Mr. Buford clarified that they have Continuous Emissions Monitors installed inside the stacks at the refineries to measure emissions there every 15 seconds; these measure compliance with standards. NWCAA also has separate monitors out in the fields, 10 meters above the ground, which measure ambient air quality. The Mayor introduced Marty Yates from Anacortes School District 103 to discuss air quality monitoring the District has undertaken since the USA Today article. Mr. Yates reported that the District has worked closely with Dave Blake at NWCAA and has been testing air quality for at least 19 years. The District has won awards for indoor air quality and has been described as having "better than hospital quality air". The District has implemented suggestions made by NWCAA such as turning off air handlers while buses are loading and unloading so emissions aren't sucked into buildings, replacing carpet with hard surfacing in hallways, using environmentally sound cleaning products, implementing an extensive preventative maintenance schedule, and buying best quality air filters. When teachers have raised specific concerns the District has brought in an industrial hygienist to sample the air. Mr. Turner asked if USA Today ever called ASD 103 before the article came out. Mr. Yates said no. At approximately 8:40 p.m. the Mayor adjourned the regularly scheduled study session of July 27, 2009. Contact Information for Tonight's Presenters: Peter Browning: Phone 360-336-9380 (360-336-9396 direct), Email peterb@co.skagit.wa.us Polly Dubbel: Phone 360-336-9380, Email pollyd@co.skagit.wa.us Skagit County Dept. of Health: www.skagitcounty.net Mark Buford: Phone 360-428-1617 Ext. 207, Email mark@nwcleanair.org Northwest Clean Air Agency: www.nwcleanair.org Madonna Narvaez: Phone 206-553-2117, Email narvaez.madonna@epa.gov U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov Marty Yates: Phone 360-293-1200, Email myates@asd103.org Anacortes School District: www.anacortes.k12.wa.us Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes July 27, 2009 3