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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment held a public meeting Friday evening in Wichita concerning contaminated grounds at the environmental site at 29th Street North and Grove. Friday’s meeting was the first with KDHE representatives since the agency released its health study two weeks.
The KDHE study specifically concerns contaminated groundwater from a spill that’s believed to have happened in the early 1990s along the northern part of a Union Pacific railyard in north Wichita. Decades later the study found that people living in that area had an increased risk of liver cancer, specifically at more than twice the rate for African Americans when compared with the same population in Kansas. Rates of low birthweight among infants were also higher in the area.
Friday night’s meeting focused on what you should do if you or a loved one is believed to have been exposed.
“What we want to tell the community is, today, if you’re concerned about your health, if you’re concerned about the health of your family, we really want people to their providers, talk about your potential exposure,” said KDHE Environmental Health Officer Farah Ahmed. And if you don’t have a provider, the local health department is here today as well to talk about community resources.”
KDHE has a timeline for implementing a remedy on its website. The department also is planning another community meeting next month. It hasn’t cemented a specific date and time.
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