Assessing Outdoor Air Near Schools
Neale Elementary School - Vienna, WV
- Understanding the Monitoring Data
- Initial Sample Results
- Initial Analysis
- Additional Sample Results
- Final Analysis
EPA selected this school along with The Ohio Valley Educational Service Center in Marietta, OH, and Warren Elementary School in Marietta, OH, because they are located near a large manganese ore processing (ferroalloy production) facility, Eramet Marietta, Inc. (Eramet) that emits air toxics, including manganese. Air monitoring data previously collected by Ohio EPA identified elevated levels of manganese in the air near the facility. Monitoring by EPA at these three locations during 2009 also indicated elevated concentrations of one key pollutant- manganese –that warranted additional monitoring. EPA conducted additional monitoring for three months at the Warren Elementary School location. We reported concentrations of this key pollutant for this location in the table below. While manganese is the key pollutant at this monitoring site, other metals (such as arsenic) were also measured and that data is also available below.
About the Data
The table below shows the levels of key pollutants in air samples collected at the monitoring site beginning in December 2011 continuing through February 2012. The table also includes the individual “sample screening level” for the key pollutant monitored at the school. EPA developed this screening level to help the Agency and the community get an early sense of what the data were showing. The sample screening level is a level of pollution in the air that is below what we expect to cause health problems from short-term exposures – all day, every day over a period ranging up to at least a couple of weeks (longer, for some pollutants). These screening levels are used only as guidelines for this project.
About The Table
Compare the sample results to the short-term screening level at the top of the table. Numbers at or below that level indicate the pollutant is not likely to pose immediate health concerns.
To use the screening level, compare it to each sample result:
- a sample result at or below the sample screening level is not a concern for risk of health problems from short-term exposures.
- a sample result above the screening level does not mean that there is a risk to children and adults at the school. It is a signal for EPA to further evaluate those and subsequent results for that pollutant.
EPA analyzed the potential for health concerns from long-term exposure. This analysis will be found under the Final Analysis tab when available. Monitoring results are in the table below.
|Sample Screening Level||500|
–– = Sample not taken or invalid
Other monitored toxic air pollutants (PDF) (5pp, 52k)