Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Q: Does the EPA have anything to do with those big metal boxes I'm starting to see around town? If so, what are they?
A: Yes, those 2 foot square, weatherproof metal boxes are our new air monitoring stations. EPA and its contractors will be sampling outdoor ambient air for asbestos throughout the community for at least one year.
EPA has received consent from property owners to install 14 air monitoring stations located strategically within a network covering the entire community. Samples will be collected on a five-day on/five-day off schedule. During the "on" period, the monitoring stations will usually be checked every six to eight hours by EPA contractors to make sure they are operating properly. Each air monitoring station contains a small, electric pump that runs continuously during the five-day sampling period.
EPA will use the data collected to help determine the average amount of Libby Amphibole in outdoor air throughout the community. This information will be used to estimate the risks to people from breathing the air around Libby.
For more information, please call:
Ted Linnert at 303-312-6119 or
EPA Information Center at 293-6194
November 27, 2006