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Targeted Monitoring, Outreach, and Education: Traditional Brick Kilns, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora. James R. Anderson, PhD Environmental Fluid Dynamics Program Arizona State University. Funding from USEPA Region 9 (through BECC in 2007) In collaboration with:
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Targeted Monitoring, Outreach, and Education: Traditional Brick Kilns, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora James R. Anderson, PhD Environmental Fluid Dynamics Program Arizona State University
Funding from USEPA Region 9 (through BECC in 2007) In collaboration with: Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality Secretaria de Salud Publica de Sonora
Outline: • Review of monitoring results from 2006 study. • 2. 2007 indoor monitoring, education, and outreach.
Background • Approx. 130 brick kiln sites in the urban area of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, concentrated within three small colonias ladrilleras. • Brick-makers’ families live at the brick-making sites. • Some of the local schools are either near to or surrounded by brick kiln sites.
Active burning stage – about 1 day, black smoke dominated by soot, fine soil dust, and “brown carbon”. Smoldering phase another 2 days. Plume tends to stay close to surface for significant distances.
Fuels – anything that burns, but wood and particle board are favored because of brick quality that results. 1. Particle board scrap (with plastic facing) 2. Unpainted wood 3. Painted wood from demolition of old buildings (4. Old tires.)
Suumary of Results from 2006 Study • PM10 concentrations on the order of 2000 g/m3 or higher are emitted from kilns near ground level during the active burning and smoldering phases of brick making in the colonias. (Highest PM10 was about 4000 g/m3 ) • During active burning and smoldering, about 70% of the PM10 measured was present as PM2.5 and therefore easily respired. • During certain periods of sampling, high concentrations of fine particles with significant lead content were detected, mostly in the form of lead chloride. • d. Canister samples found elevated concentrations of a number of organic gases in kiln smoke relative to ambient background (such as1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene).
Study in Leicester, England by Kularni et al (1996), in New England Journal of Medicine, v. 355, pg 21-30
While we did not directly measure the mass loading of Pb, a reasonable estimate from this data is that in an actively burning plume with 2000-4000 g/m3 PM10 the Pb content might be on the order of 50-100 g/m3 Current Pb standard in both US and Mexico is a quarterly average of 1.5 g/m3 While this standard may or may not be exceeded in the colonias, what are the health effects of repeated exposures to high levels of Pb?
2007 project with RCBH and Sec. de Salud Publica collaboration: • Indoor PM10 monitoring of 2 houses and at school • Questionnaire for residents of 2 studied colonias to assess health effects of kiln smoke and awareness of health issues, including awareness of Pb toxicity. • Development of outreach materials. • Education and outreach activities in 2 colonias. • Also, compilation of health and school absentee data from area around colonias.
Project Goals: • Document health hazards associated with current brick making methods. • Develop outreach materials that emphasize risks to children's health from the kiln smoke. • Convince brick makers to stop using painted boards as fuel. • Contribute to the on-going effort by city and state officials to reduce the health risks from kiln operations.
