EPA finds no air quality violations on Iowa City’s east side

IOWA CITY — Air quality tests conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have identified the source of an odor that some Iowa City residents feared was causing harm to their health.

According to a report issued by the EPA and announced by the City of Iowa City, tests identified trace amounts of toluene, a chemical compound used in products such as paint thinner and fingernail polish, as the likely source of odors on the city’s east side.

Tests showed toluene levels of 58.8 to 425 parts per billion, which is approximately 100 times lower than 20 parts per million, which is the threshold known to impact human health, the city reported.

“Toluene has a strong, acetone-like smell that can be detected by people even in very low concentrations,” the city statement reads. “Trace amounts of benzene were also detected, measured at less than 3 parts per billion, which is also more than 100 times below the minimum risk level for human exposure. While the EPA did not identify any adverse findings or violations, continued compliance monitoring of the Clean Air Act is expected to continue.”

The EPA found that the toluene was linked to the Loparex facility, located at 2000 Industrial Park Rd., in Iowa City. The company manufactures silicone liners often used in medical settings.

The EPA conducted additional compliance checks on the Loparex facility’s manufacturing process and determined that it was following all current environmental regulations.

Neighborhood concerns surfaced during rezoning process

People living in the neighborhood began to express concerns about air quality in early 2024, when the city was considering the rezoning of 6.8 acres of the former Kirkwood Community College branch campus on Lower Muscatine Road. Procter & Gamble, which operates two manufacturing plants nearby, was planning to expand onto the former Kirkwood site.

Residents nearby reported odors from the existing Procter & Gamble site — located less than a mile from the Loparex facility — and raised concerns about environmental justice, which holds that poor or marginalized communities shouldn’t be harmed by development from which they do not benefit.

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The area around the plant has a higher percentage of low-income residents and Black and Hispanic residents than Iowa City overall.

The city worked with residents to bring concerns about the odors to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which requested EPA investigate the area.

“From a city standpoint, we wanted to make sure the residents felt like their concerns were being heard and addressed, but also recognize that we weren't necessarily the appropriate level of government to investigate and address those concerns,” said City Manager Geoff Fruin.

Following release of the EPA report, Fruin said residents can continue to reach out to the city and the Iowa DNR if concerns about air quality in the area persist.

“There's routine inspections and compliance activities that take place irrespective of resident concerns, but certainly if they receive resident concerns, that can influence the frequency and the amount of compliance activities that either those jurisdictions will take,” Fruin said.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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