Public Health to Monitor Air Quality in
Boulder County
April 2006 - Boulder, CO – Boulder
County Public Health (BCPH), will begin monitoring forty air
toxics at five locations throughout the county beginning this
winter, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The last monitoring study in Boulder
County, conducted in 1996, provided monitoring of just three
air toxins at one Denver and two Boulder County locations.
This previous study found that concentrations
of the pollutants studied were significantly higher in Boulder
than in Denver. The study’s authors believed that formation of
secondary pollutants from chemical reactions caused by
sunlight might be leading to an even greater number of toxins
being formed as the pollutants were dispersed by wind and
weather patterns along the Front Range.
“Because Boulder County sits at the point
where the heavily urbanized City of Denver and the rural
wilderness of the Rocky Mountains meet, a complex air quality
environment is created that can intensify organic trace
gases,” said Pam Milmoe, BCPH Air Quality Coordinator. “This
study will help us to continue to better understand and assess
local air quality and develop management strategies.”
The study is in collaboration with researchers
at the Mechanical Engineering Department and an analytical
laboratory at INSTAAR (Institute of Arctic and Alpine
Research) at CU Boulder. Sample collection will be performed
over 24 hours every sixth day. Ozone will be monitored at all
stations continuously, with one-hour time resolution. Analysis
will also look for “indicator” pollutants that will help us
roughly estimate the sources of pollution.
The study is also intended to evaluate the air
quality impacts of industrial activities, oil and gas
exploration, and vehicle emissions. It will define
concentrations of local air toxics and build on the findings
of previous studies.
“From a human health standpoint, this study
will give us the data to address community concerns and
support evaluations of health effects,” said Milmoe.
Specifically, BCPH will provide information to better evaluate
the findings of two health consultations conducted by the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The forty organic gasses will be monitored
over a one-year period. The proposed locations for monitoring
include Niwot Ridge, the city of Boulder, the city of
Longmont, the city of Lyons, and South Boulder Creek. Each
location has been specifically selected to provide information
about particular environmental factors such as traffic,
agricultural burning, oil and gas development, and airflow. (View
Map)
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 Locations |
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Monitoring Locations
Select map to enlarge |
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Air
Toxics |
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Contact Air
Toxics |
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Air Quality Program,
3450 Broadway, Boulder, CO, 80304
(303) 441-1564 |
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