Action Plan for Clean Air in Northwest Orange County (Draft)

Action Plan for Clean Air in Northwest Orange County

Draft in Progress

Who is at Risk From Poor Air Quality: Poor air quality can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause shortness of breath, aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, and affect the heart and cardiovascular system so everyone is at risk.

 Who is Most at Risk From Poor Air Quality: Pound for pound, children breathe more than adults and are more sensitive to pollution. Their air passages are narrower, so it takes less inflammation or irritation to obstruct their airways. They also are more likely to have asthma or other respiratory illnesses, which are aggravated by air pollution.

 Seniors and Poor Air Quality: Older adults may have heart or lung disease that puts them at greater risk. Diabetics are at increased risk in part because they also have a higher risk of underlying cardiovascular disease.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a representation of air pollution concentration levels. It assigns numbers on a scale between 0 and 500 and is used to help determine when air quality is expected to be unhealthy. Based on federal air quality standards, the AQI includes measures for six major air pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and two sizes of particulate matter. Orlando's average air quality is 39.

Our Goal: Excepting natural disasters such as uncontrolled wildfires, the average air quality index in Northwest Orange should be 0-50 and be free of the noxious odors of garbage dumps, avoidable noxious odor-producing farming practices, crematoria, sewage lift stations, reclaimed water treatment plants, sewage and biosolid processing plants, and odors produced by all other industrial businesses located in Northwest Orange County. All such businesses will contain their odors within the perimeter of their physical boundaries. 

Facilities located in Lake County including reclaimed water treatment plants and garbage dumps will contain their odors within their facility boundaries and prevent them from entering Northwest Orange County.

Identify the Resources Needed:
1. Community support for our goal including identifying community members with expertise in technical areas, media, and other skills that will help us reach our goal. 
2. Businesses releasing particulate matter into the air due to industrial processes, burning, or other means, will obtain air quality measuring instruments and will determine the air quality twice a day and maintain a log of these measurements. This is a cost of doing business and will be done at their expense. Handheld units will suffice.
3. We need to obtain equivalent portable equipment used for #2 above to keep the particulate generating business honest. 


List of Steps to Follow:
1. Work with the Florida Department of Environment Protection
2. Work with the Orange County Zoning
3. Post on social media and write e-mails
4. Respectfully contact the businesses with noxious odors when it could be beneficial
5. Pursue additional avenues if the above actions aren't successful

Set Priorities and Deadlines:
1. Get Aunvia Plant Nutrients in compliance regarding the chemicals it uses including anhydrous ammonia and sulphuric acid.

 Anhydrous ammonia has a distinct odor, which humans can detect in concentrations as small as 5 parts per million. At room temperature, ammonia is a colorless, highly irritating gas with a pungent, suffocating odor.  Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate burning of the nose, throat and respiratory tract. This can cause bronchiolar and alveolar edema, and airway destruction resulting in respiratory distress or failure. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation. Anhydrous ammonia gas is lighter than air and will rise so that generally it dissipates and does not settle in low-lying areas. However, in the presence of moisture (such as high relative humidity), the liquefied anhydrous ammonia gas forms vapors that are heavier than air. These vapors may spread along the ground or into low-lying areas with poor airflow where people may become exposed.

Hydrogen sulfide can affect several different systems in the body. At low levels, it has the smell of rotten eggs. Exposure to lower concentrations can cause eye irritation, a sore throat, and cough, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs. These symptoms usually go away in a few weeks after exposure ends. Long-term, low-level exposure may result in fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability, poor memory and dizziness. At higher levels, the nose can be overwhelmed and no longer smell it but it can make people sick.

Deadline: The above should be accomplished within 10 business days and ideally, immediately due to the health effects of the chemicals used.

2. Get Shelley's Septic Tanks in compliance with all zoning requirements and odor control measures. This should be accomplished within 20 business days. 

A case-control study, including 235 inhabitants living within a 500 m (1/3 of a mile) radius by a municipal wastewater treatment plant (cases) and 97 inhabitants living in a different area (controls), was conducted. A standardized questionnaire was self-completed by the participants which examined the general health perception and the overall life satisfaction. Also, the concentration of airborne pathogenic microorganisms in aerosol samples collected around the wastewater treatment plant was investigated. A significant risk for symptoms such as headache, unusual tiredness, and concentration difficulties was recorded and an increased possibility for respiratory and skin diseases was reported. A high rate of the cases being irritable and moody was noticed. Significantly higher gastrointestinal symptoms were also reported among the cases in relation to the controls. The prevalence of pathogenic airborne microorganisms originating from the wastewater treatment plant was reported in high numbers in sampling points close to the wastewater treatment plant. More analytical epidemiological investigations are needed to determine the cause as well as the burden of the diseases to inhabitants living surrounding the wastewater treatment plant.

3. Monitor, Evaluate, and Update the plans for Anuvia Plant Nutrients and Shelley's Septic Tanks

4. Once Anuvia Plant Nutrients and Shelley's Septic Tanks are in full compliance, investigate other possible sources as odors occur and develop a plan to eliminate the odors. Anuvia Plant Nutrients and Shelley's Septic Tanks are a priority due to actions being taken by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Orange County Zoning. 

5. Noxious odors from other sources will be documented, e-mails written and followed up on as they occur. 


References:

https://www.sparetheair.org/understanding-air-quality/air-pollutants-and-health- 
     effects/whos-at-risk
https://floridadep.gov/air/air-monitoring/content/air-quality-index-aqi
https://nasdonline.org/1258/d001062/play-it-safe-with-anhydrous-ammonia.html
https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/ammonia
     _tech.htm
http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/hydrogensulfide.htm
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2016/8467023/

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