CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is hosting an informational session to update the community on its actions to address Ethylene Oxide air emissions in the western areas of Kanawha County.

The session is set for Thursday, August 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Schoenbaum Center, located at 1701 5th Avenue, Charleston, WV 25387.

Staff from the WVDEP’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) and the state Department of Health and Human Resources’ (DHHR) Bureau for Public Health (BPH) will open the session with a brief presentation, with the remaining time dedicated to meeting with citizens and answering questions.

The WVDEP received the results from the fourth round of its four-part EtO air sampling project earlier this month. Those results were added to the agency’s EtO webpage and announced through its EtO mailing list.

Collectively, the results of the four rounds of sampling, along with emissions and weather data from the days sampled, will be reviewed by both the WVDEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and compiled into a final report. This report will be made available to the public as soon as it is completed and will guide future actions taken by the agencies.

“We’re working with our partners at EPA to analyze this information holistically, which can take time,” said WVDEP Cabinet Secretary Harold Ward. “We felt this was a good opportunity to keep the public updated on where we are in this process and maintain open lines of communication.”

The WVDEP previously held a community open house at the Dunbar Community Center in March.

Additional information about EtO and the steps the agency has taken to address the issue are available on the WVDEP’s EtO webpage.

To receive future updates on EtO from the WVDEP, sign up for the agency’s EtO mailing list.