The Buick Northeast air monitoring station took over ambient air monitoring for lead from the nearby Bixby West site, which operated from February 2010 to September 2010. The department stopped operations at the Bixby West site because the Doe Run Co. acquired the property where the monitor sat in mid-2010. 

The Buick Northeast station gauges the impact that a nearby secondary lead smelter has on air quality. The Buick Resource Recycling Facility, which is owned by the Doe Run Co., is located in Boss, Missouri, about 1.6 miles from the Buick Northeast station. The Buick Resource Recycling Facility recaptures lead found in lead-acid batteries and other products. 

Not long after the state's Buick Northeast station began collecting data, the department decided to also begin monitoring sulfur dioxide. Results from unrelated air monitoring at the Buick Resource Recycling Facility showed the area may be at risk of not meeting the federal standard for SO2. The unrelated air monitoring occurred in connection with an application for a construction permit.

To learn about other air monitoring sites the department operates as part of the state's ambient air monitoring network, visit Air Monitoring Sites.

Pollutants

Lead

Since 2008, the primary and secondary ambient air standards for lead have remained at 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3). The primary standard reflects EPA's concern for public health, while the second standard demonstrates concern for public welfare. EPA bases the standard on the highest rolling three-month average over a period of three years and two months. A monitoring site meets the standard when the lead concentration is less than or equal to 0.15 μg/m3 averaged over three months. The standard is not met if the concentration exceeds that level once or more within a three-year period. 

Sulfur Dioxide

In 2010, EPA not only established a new one-hour standard, but also introduced a new form for determining compliance. The primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), based on health effects, for SO2 is 75 parts per billion (ppb) averaged over one hour. The new form requires three years of data — the average SO2 concentration from each hour of the year. The department and EPA calculate the design value, using the 99th percentile of one-hour daily maximum concentrations, averaged over three years.

*All times listed in reports reflect Central Standard Time (CST).

Buick Northeast Air Monitoring Site
Address

346 Power Lane
Bixby West, MO 65439
United States

EPA Site ID
29-093-0034
County
Iron
Date Established
Pollutants Monitored
Lead
Sulfur Dioxide
Latitude/Longitude
37.65212, -91.11653