Prepared by John S Hausbeck, Environmental Epidemiologist, Madison Department of Public Health, June 20, 2001

Madison Kipp Corporation has been a focus of concern in the adjacent neighborhood since the early 1990’s. Since this time, Madison Department of Public Health (MDPH) has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) and Department of Health And Family Services (WI DHFS) to address the concerns of the community. In this time, residents of the community surrounding Madison Kipp have registered many complaints with these agencies. Complaints have involved air emissions, nuisance odors, noise, and concern about adverse health effects from exposure to Madison Kipp’s emissions. Several neighbors also have reported their suspicion of an abnormal cluster of illness resulting from exposure to Madison Kipp’s emissions.

Over the last several years, MDPH has worked closely with members of the community, the above agencies, and the Madison Kipp Corporation to evaluate this facility’s potential to cause illness in the surrounding community. Two reports have been completed that provide the Department’s evaluation of this situation. The first report provides the analysis of health surveillance data collected from June 1997 through December 1999 and discusses the possibility that an abnormal level of illness to exist in the neighborhood. The second report evaluates the data available on Madison Kipp’s emissions and identifies questions about exposures that are not answered by the available data.

The purpose of these evaluations is to determine if there is sufficient data to support the performance of a health study in the neighborhood surrounding Madison Kipp. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that an epidemiological health study of a suspected illness cluster is appropriate if an excess amount of illness is present in the community and a potential link exists between the illness and a biological or chemical exposure. The evaluation of illness data collected from the community attempts to address this first requirement. The exposure evaluation report attempts to address the second requirement.

In order to assess reports of illness related to Madison Kipp Corporation, MDPH developed a surveillance procedure to collect health data in the community neighboring Madison Kipp. Data on environmental concerns and self-reported symptoms were collected between June 1997 and December 1999. During this time, 31 individuals contacted the Department 112 times to report environmental or health concerns potentially related to Madison Kipp. Analysis of the symptoms reported during this time found little similarity in the symptoms reported among individuals and inconsistency in the symptoms reported by individuals over time. A total of 13 people reported symptoms. However, none of these individuals reported similar symptom patterns and the greatest number of people reporting any one symptom was six. The most frequently reported symptoms were nausea (4 people), sore throat (5 people), headache (6 people), and difficulty breathing (3 people). These symptoms are relatively common or non-descriptive symptoms that may result from many illnesses or chemical exposures. Attempts to identify groupings of these symptoms over time or in distinct parts of the community were unsuccessful. The largest number of individuals that reported the same symptom during a 24-hour period was two. Several small sub-groups of two to three individuals were identified within the community; however, onset date and type of symptoms reported were not consistent in these sub-groups. While this surveillance process did not collect data on asthma, asthma data was reported during two events that occurred in 1999 and 2000. This limited data does not indicate that asthma is more prevalent in this community than throughout Wisconsin.

Prior to this evaluation, WI DNR staff had already determined that Madison Kipp meets ambient air quality standards. While members of the neighborhood have expressed concern that air quality standards are not protective enough, the data presented in this report indicate that emissions from Madison Kipp do not present an obvious human health threat to the community. Chlorine and hydrogen chloride have been periodically documented at detectable levels. However, these chemicals have not been found or estimated at levels known to result in acute human health effects. Similarly, the modeled levels of particulate matter, both total suspended particulate and the particulate smaller than 10 microns, are within acceptable air quality standards. Finally, levels of the organic chemicals, including VOC, identified in ambient air are not present at levels expected to result in human health effects. This data suggests that Madison Kipp’s neighbors are exposed to low levels of these emissions from the facility. However, a study designed to measure health outcomes as they relate to these known exposures is likely to be inconclusive because low level exposures are not expected to create enough variation in health outcomes to be detectable with epidemiological methods.

While much about Madison Kipp’s emissions is known, specific questions remain. Data gathered by answering each of these questions would provide more information on Madison Kipp’s impact on the environment. However, answers to these questions are not expected to change the ability of an epidemiological health study to measure variation in illness as associated with Madison Kipp’s emissions. For this reason, these questions were not considered to have public health significance at this time.

Based on the reports summarized above, an epidemiological health study of the community surrounding Madison Kipp is not indicated at this time. Illness reports received by MDPH do not identify an excess of symptoms or illnesses among those reporting concerns. The available data suggests that the surrounding community is exposed to low levels of Madison Kipp’s emissions. However, the levels of pollutants in the community are not expected to be sufficient to cause illness.

Although a health study is not indicated at this time, new data related to illness in the neighborhood or Madison Kipp’s emissions may require a re-evaluation of this decision. It is recommended that individuals who are experiencing health problems and feel these problems may be related to Madison Kipp’s activities should visit a medical professional for a medical evaluation. The results of this evaluation should be forwarded to MDPH if a link with the chemicals emitted by Madison Kipp is suggested. Madison Department of Public Health staff will continue to gather information on Madison Kipp’s emissions and neighbor’s health concerns.