Review of EPAs Air Sampling Data in Louisiana

July 20, 2010

On April 20, 2010, the Deep Water Horizon exploded and two days later, on Earth Day, BP’s burning rig sank into the Gulf of Mexico. Since that day oil has flowed into the Gulf. The estimates of the total oil spilled ranges from 151 million gallons to 201 million gallons.i

Soon after the disaster began, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began an air monitoring program. This air monitoring program appears to be the most comprehensive air monitoring program ever conducted in this part of the United States. The agency is to be commended for its effort. The Louisiana Bucket Brigade reviewed the air monitoring data on EPA’s web site from the start of the disaster until July 10, 2010. This paper provides the results of that review.

The agency’s air monitoring should be viewed in its historical context. Throughout the U.S., air monitoring has typically been delegated to the states. This monitoring has not provided much useful data to community members concerned about pollution and chemical exposure – two major concerns in the Gulf at this time. A 2003 report written by scholars at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tells the story.

“State monitoring efforts, which focus on the use of fixed ambient monitors, are also limited in their ability to provide detailed, accurate information to the public. The location, range, and focus of ambient monitors are determined through an inherently political process. Agency resource limitations add to the sporadic placement of monitoring stations that are not optimally suited for assessing the impact of pollutant concentrations across residential areas (NSTC, 1997; Walker, 1997).”ii

Though EPA’s post spill air monitoring program falls short in many ways, it does represent progress. There remains significant catch up work to compensate for decades of neglect. While this report focuses on post BP oil spill air monitoring in Louisiana, these dynamics hold true for water and soil monitoring throughout the Gulf states.

.…Read much more… This is a PDF file

www.labucketbrigade.org/downloads/Review%20of%20EPA%20Sampling%20Data%207.20.10_2.pdf