County Board Of Health Posts Moratorium--stops Construction Of Concentrated, Confined Feeding Operations
Boone County, Iowa
April 12, 2002
By CHUCK HACKENMILLER April 12, 2002
The Boone County Board of Health Friday announced it approved a resolution establishing a moratorium on all new construction of concentrated/confined animal feeding operation using a "lagoon system" in Boone County.
The resolution was unanimously approved Tuesday by board members Dr. Wayne Rouse, Donovan Olson, Luvern Babbit, Patricia Dunn and Vera Hick. Rouse, chairman of the Boone County Board of Health, said the resolution would remain in "in full force" until the Iowa Legislature passes legislation with a means of local control of concentrated/confined animal feeding operations. The Legislature was debating a bill throughout Friday to tighten regulation of hog confinements and other large livestock operations. The more recent bill calls for county and state officials to use a scoring system, figuring in impacts to the environment and nearby communities, for evaluation new confinement sites.
Much of the impetus for establishing a moratorium comes from a February 2002 report from Iowa State University and the University of Iowa study groups which revealed health implications arising from Iowa concentrated animal feeding operations, according to Rouse.
The study shows, through extensive literature, documented instances of acute and chronic respirator diseases and dysfunction among workers, especially swine and poultry workers, from exposures to complex mixtures of particulates, gases and vapors within concentrated animal feeding operation units.
Common complaints among workers include sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, inflamed mucous membranes of the nose, irritation of the nose and throat, headaches, muscle aches and pains.
The study also evaluated conditions and effects of those living in proximity to the concentrated animal feeding operation units. Two studies in North Carolina and one in Iowa indicated health risks to the eyes and respiratory system, Populations nearby are also exposed to low concentrations of individual chemical components from emissions of concentrated animal livestock operations, particularly hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and endotoxin.
The study concluded that centralized animal livestock operations' air emissions may constitute a public health hazard and that precautions should be taken to minimize both specific chemical exposures (hydrogen sulfide and ammonia) and mixed exposures (including odor) arising from the units.
"Gases in the general vicinity of the livestock operations were a concern and interpreted by the local board of heath to be a health hazard," Rouse said.
He said the board of health has the authority to exercise its responsibility to serve the public interest in the development of comprehensive public health policies. "It is our responsibility to diagnose or investigate health problems and hazards in the county and communities. Based on that responsibility, we felt we had to take this necessary (moratorium) action while the Legislature goes through legislative gymnastics to deal with the livestock bill," he said.
Rouse said the definition of a lagoon system by the Department of Natural Resources is "an earthen manure storage system with or without a liner, or an above ground storage system."
"This (moratorium) is director toward 'large family farm operations' and not "family farm operations that do not require the existence of a lagoon,'" he said.
Another concern by the board members was that if legislation was passed on new regulations, there could be a delay in the implementation of the new regulations. In that case, new construction of animal confinement systems could take place during that delay phase and would be "grandfathered in" when the regulations take effect.
"This moratorium is intended to be a stop-gap measure, a prevention for citizens of Boone County not to be exposed to major health hazards. If a legislative bill passes, our concerns are that it will affect only remote interests and that the bill will not have the interests of Boone County at heart," he said.
The county would also be affected if the concentrated/confined animal feeding operations do not succeed and are abandoned, leaving the county with liability concerns about health hazard of the abandoned buildings and lagoon system.
The call for a moratorium on the large animal units has "been on the backburner of the board of health for a long time,' Rouse said. "As long as two years ago, we've had discussion on it. With the help of experts and the study released in February, it was decided now was the time to pursue the moratorium."
