Livestock Industry: Environmental, Health & Legislation Issues

1. Pius Ndegwa Nutrient Management & Air Quality Specialist Biological Systems Engineering Washington State University Livestock Industry: Environmental, Health & Legislation Issues

2. Environmental and Public Health Issues Water Quality Air Quality Governing Legislations or Interventions Overview

3. Water Quality: Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) required for every livestock producer has by and large taken care of this. Air Quality: EPA has started to address what are suspected to be the major culprits from the livestock industry. Environmental & Public Health Issues

4. The six “criteria pollutants” potentially harmful to human health currently regulated (by EPA) under the Clean Air Act are: Sulfur Dioxide - SO2 Nitrogen Dioxide - NO2 Ozone (important: precursors - VOCs & NOx) Particulate matter: PM10; PM2.5 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Lead Environmental & Health Issues: Air Quality in General

5. Major Pollutants suspected from Livestock Industry: Ammonia – currently not regulated under CAA Hydrogen sulfide – currently not regulated under CAA Particulate matter (PM2.5 & PM10) – Regulated under CAA Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – Somehow regulated under CAA (as Ozone precursor together with NOx) Environmental & Public Health Issues: Air Quality

6. Environmental: Can be a precursor to particulate matter formation Can be transported and deposited in sensitive ecosystems Health: No health effects have been found in humans exposed to typical environmental concentrations of ammonia. Exposure to high levels of ammonia in air may be irritating to your skin, eyes, throat, and lungs and cause coughing and burns. Lung damage and death may occur after exposure to very high concentrations of ammonia. Some people with asthma may be more sensitive to breathing ammonia than others. Ammonia: Environmental & Public Health Issues

7. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set an acceptable 8-hour exposure limit at 25 ppm of ammonia and a short-term (15 minutes) exposure level at 35 ppm. Ammonia: Environmental & Health Issues

8. Low Concentrations (0 -10 ppm): Irritation of eyes, Irritation of nose, Irritation of throat. Medium Concentrations (10-50 pmm): Headache Dizziness Nausea and vomiting Coughing and breathing difficulty. High Concentrations ( over 50 ppm): Severe respiratory tract irritation Eye irritation or acute conjunctivitis Shock, convulsions, coma, or even death in severe cases. Hydrogen Sulfide: Public Health Issues

9. OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: Exposures shall not exceed 20 ppm with the following exception: if no other measurable exposure occurs during the 8-hour work shift, exposures may exceed 20 ppm, but not more than 50 ppm (peak), for a single time period up to 10 minutes. Hydrogen Sulfide: Environmental & Health Issues

10. Environmental: Particulate matter in the air can cause: reduced visibility, damage to buildings, materials, plants, and other aspects of public welfare. Health: Particulate matter may pose a threat to health when they are airborne, reducing visibility, creating an uncomfortable environment (irritation of eyes, ears, nose, throat, skin) and possibly resulting in damage to the tissues of the lungs and the respiratory system, particularly to asthmatics or allergy sufferers. Particulates: Environmental & Health Issues: Air

11. The Clean Air Act NAAQS criteria are 15 g/m3 (annual arithmetic mean) and 65 g/m3 (24-hour average) for PM2.5 as well as 50 g/m3 (annual arithmetic mean) and 150 g/m3 (24-hour average) for PM10. When an area does not meet the air quality standards for any “criteria pollutant”, it may be designated as "non-attainment". These “non-attainment” areas are required to develop air pollution control strategies to decrease the emissions of criteria pollutants in order to meet the standards. Legislation: Particulate Matter

12. VOCs are products of anaerobic degradation. They are organic compounds that volatilize at fairly low temperatures. Methane: A major greenhouse gas Non-methane VOCs: The are also significant greenhouse gases via their role in creating ozone and in prolonging the life of methane in the atmosphere, although the effect varies depending on local air quality (via photochemical reactions with NOx). Volatile Organic Compounds: Environmental Issues

13. CAA (1970: last amended in 1990) - The Clean Air Act: Committed to Public Health EPA has two National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for: primary and secondary pollutants. The primary standards are aimed at protecting human health with an "adequate margin of safety." The secondary standards are expected to protect visibility, damage to buildings, materials, plants, and other aspects of public welfare. The Clean Air Act was the first federal environmental statute to include provision for citizen enforcement. This provision allows individuals to sue violators of the Clean Air Act instead of relying on government action. Legislation

14. CERCLA (1980) – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. Was created to provide for cleanup of industrial chemical toxic waste dumps and spills such as Love Canal and Times Beach. EPCRA (1986) – Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act. Was adopted in the wake of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India. Legislation: Additional

15. In 2003 the National Academy for Sciences released a report that concluded scientifically sound protocols for measuring air emissions from livestock operations were needed to guide decision making! In January 2005, EPA developed Air Quality Compliance Agreement (Consent Agreement). Producers would fund a national study to determine who was in violation and would be required to comply with legislation based on this study. This Consent Agreement would protect producers from enforcement prior to or while research is being conducted (only those who signed the consent agreement though). Intervention

16. Under the Consent Agreement (Jan. 2005) A National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) will be conducted: To collect appropriate emission data, Analyze the monitoring results, and Create tools (tables and models) to be used for determining emissions. Goal: to determine if an AFO emits pollutants at a level which requires them to apply for permits under the CAA, or submit notifications under CERCLA or EPCRA Intervention: NAEMS

17. In this study, the same instrumentation, protocols, and quality assurance and quality control methods are applied to all species. Study is being done in different climatic or geographic areas to reflect different production systems. Current Status: NAEMS is almost in its second now. We have four sites in the West: two dairies (WA and CA), Two poultry (both in CA). The findings should start to trickle any time. Intervention: NAEMS

18. By at least 2011 all livestock farms identified as sources of pollution will have to comply with: The Clean Air Act (CAA) The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA). Legislation

19. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) & Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPRCA) reporting requirements: Qualifying Releases must be reported: more than 100 pounds of H2S or NH3 per 24 hour period Clean Air Act (CAA) permitting requirements: Limit emissions of VOC’s and Particulates: TSP, PM10, PM2.5. Civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day Legislation: Livestock Industry Potential Fines

20. Thank You!Questions?