Hello Members.

Let me first start by thanking you for letting me serve as the 2018 Kansas Envi-ronmental Health Association (KEHA) President. The KEHA executive board has seen changes this year. Tom Morey, KDA-BWR and Ryan Witt, Stafford Co. have left their positions with the KEHA board. However, Perry Piper, Riley Co. and Randy Barten, Dickinson Co. have volunteered their services in filling those voids. KEHA still has a vacancy at the general section chair. So, members if you are willing to serve on the KEHA board please contact a board representative for more information. Despite these changes, KEHA has prepared for its members a broad spectrum of topics for this year’s fall conference.

Speaking of the fall conference, it will be hosted at the Hilton Garden Inn in Sa-lina, Kansas on September 12, 13 and 14. KEHA has prepared a preconference workshop on school inspections. The workshop will consist of classroom along with on-site school training by a comprehensive group of speakers. The work-shop should set the tone for what we hope to a be a very educational conference. Please look over the conference agenda in the newsletter. Registration forms for the conference and hotel are also included in the newsletter.

Please do not forget about participating in the University of Kansas School of Medicine—Private Water Well Survey. Kansas Water Well Policy Advisory Committee wants your opinions (i.e. the Experts) on various questions in the sur-vey. So, please take the time to voice your opinion about future policies and pro-cedures in the State of Kansas. The results of the survey will be discussed at our fall conference in Salina. See page 3 for more information.

Please don’t forget to follow of KEHA updates on our website at WWW.KEHA.us , or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/www.keha.us/.

K a n s a s E n v i r o n m e n t a l H e a l t h A s s o c i a t i o n

Message f rom the P res iden t Shawn Es te r l

F a l l N e w s l e t t e r

S i len t Auc t io n

I ns i de t h i s i s s ue :

Conference Agenda 4-6

Conference Registra-tion

8

Membership App 9

Sanitarian of the Year Award Nomination

10

Special Recognition Award Nomination

11

Lagoon Vegetation 12

Training Opportuni-ties

16

A ug us t 2 0 1 8

It’s once again time for our Fall KEHA Conference and along with that comes the Silent Auction. Each fall there are many great items to bid on throughout most of the confer-ence. So go through that “re-gift” closet and find several items to bring. Every year brings new and interesting items. Some are antiques, some are delicious and some are just interesting.

As a reminder—all the monies made from the Silent Auction go into the Bill Spaniol Memorial Scholarship.

The impor tance o f env i ronmenta l c reden t ia l ing

Since 1937, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) has been leading the way for environmental health practitioners to achieve a set of defined competencies, evidenced through an examination and main-tained through continuing education. Currently, there are over 6,000 individu-als with a NEHA credential that have mastered a body of knowledge and ac-quired practical experience to perform relevant work responsibilities. The Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) credential certifies that individuals have the skill set to ensure clean air, safe food, and potable water in their communities and manage critical func-tions such as emergency response, vector control, sewage sanitation, hazard-ous material handling, and more.

Why is it important to get credentialed? A credential raises your credi-bility with your community, employer, and colleagues. It also demonstrates to your community that you are competent, properly trained, and equipped to carry out your duties and raises the visibility of the environmental health pro-fession.

To sit for the credentialing exam, an individual must possess certain academic and experience requirements. The exam is comprised of questions in the fol-lowing content areas: conducting facility inspections (food manufacturing, restaurants, hotels, recreational waters, home, waste, bio-medical), conduct-ing system inspections (workplace/occupational safety and health, drinking water, wastewater), conducting investigations (epidemiology, air quality, complaints), ensuring compliance (local, state, federal regulations), promot-ing public environmental public health awareness (public health assessment, education, partnerships, outreach), and responding to emergencies (risk as-sessment, emergency preparedness). For more information on the REHS/RS exam, please visit www.neha.org/rehs or contact credentialing@neha.org.

Melissa Wilson, MPH, REHS/RS

Environmental Health Specialist

Department of Health & Environment

11811 S. Sunset Dr, Suite 2700, Olathe, KS 66061

Direct (913) 715-6925 | Cell (913) 238-6878

For more information in Kansas, please contact Doris Leslie, Division of Environ-mental Health, in Wichita, KS at 316-268-8359 or DLeslie@wichita.gov. Doris is Secretary-Treasurer in the Joint Committee for the Credentialing of Sanitarians (JCCS). In Kansas the JCCS has study material to use and they offer testing two times a year.

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As you may know, the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita is working on a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to develop public health actions to protect water quality from contamination and preventing the use of contaminated water among nonpublic water well users. With the help of many stakeholders, we have developed the following survey to garner input and feedback around each proposed public health action item. We would greatly appreciate you sending the survey link to your members. Survey Link: https://link.zixcentral.com/u/5cf006af/_lzFiweJ6BG40KcJh3soMg?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fr%2FL2W2G8Y Participation involves completing a survey that will take approximately 60 minutes. The survey is lengthy, however, it was necessary to cover a multi-tude of areas. Your input is very much needed. No identifiable information will be collected, and the survey is anonymous. In addition to the survey ques-tions, we will request the name of your organization. There are no personal benefits or risks to participating in this study. Participation is voluntary, and you can stop taking the survey at any time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Elizabeth Ablah at eablah@kumc.edu. For questions about the rights of research participants, you may contact the KUMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) at (913) 588-1240 or humansubjects@kumc.edu.

Pr iva te Wate r Wel l Survey

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ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE 2018

KEHA 2018 ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE HILTON GARDEN INN, SALINA, KANSAS

SEPTEMBER 12, 13, AND 14, 2018

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Preconference Workshop on School Inspections

Time Event/Title of Talk

8:15 – 8:30 AM Opening Remarks

8:30 – 8:45 AM School Inspections, State of Kansas Regulations Cristi Cain, Director, KDHE

Local Public Health Program

8:45 – 9:45 AM Making the Connection Luke Gard, Safety and Healthy Schools Program

Coordinator Children’s Mercy

9:45 – 10:00 AM Break (Sponsor Area)

10:00 - 11:00 AM Managing the Classroom Luke Gard, Safety and Healthy Schools Program

Coordinator Children’s Mercy

11:00 – 12:00 PM Food Safety and Pests Adam Inman, Ag. Assistant Manager for Food Safety

and Lodging

1200 – 1:00 PM Lunch Provided

1:00 – 2:00 PM Healthy School Chemical Handling and Storage Marcus Rivas, EPA Region 7

2:00 – 3:00 PM Playground Equipment & Inspection Jamey Clark, Safe Park Playground

3:00 – 3:15 PM Load up and travel to area schools

3:15 – 3:45 PM On-site Playground Inspection Jamey Clark, Safe Park Playground

3:45 – 415 PM On-site Cafeteria & Food Storage Adam Inman, Ag. Assistant Manager for

Food Safety and Lodging Adam Inman, KDA

4:00 – 5:00 PM On-site Classroom Inspection Darcy Basye, Reno County Environmental

Health Coordinator Luke Gard, Safety and Healthy Schools Program

Coordinator Children’s Mercy

5:00 PM – 5:30 Return to Hotel

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ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE 2018

KEHA 2018 ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE HILTON GARDEN INN, SALINA, KANSAS

SEPTEMBER 12, 13, AND 14, 2018

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Breakout #1

Eisenhower

Breakout #2

Flint Hills

Time Event/

Title of Talk

Speaker Name,

Title

Event/

Title of Talk

Speaker Name,

Title

8:30 – 8:45 AM Opening Remarks

8:45 – 9:45 AM Active Shooter Erin Mahan, Shawnee Co.

9:45 – 10 AM Break (Sponsor Area)

10:00 -11:00 AM Wading into Well Water Jessica Willard, KDHE Epi Tracking

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Water Well Advisory Group Dr. Elizabeth Ablah, KU Medical

12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch Provided

1:00 – 2:00 PM Changing Times in Refuse World

Jim Teutsch, City of Salina

Trench Safety

Rex Smith, Kansas Safety Training

Center

2:00 – 3:00 PM Blue-Green Algae

Patricia Haines-Lieber KDHE-BEFS

Grinder Pumps and Pits

TBA

3:00 – 3:15 PM Break (Sponsor Area)

3:15 – 4:00 PM Bed Bugs

Shonda Meitler, World Pest Control

Swimming Pool Inspections

Melissa Wilson, Johnson Co.

4:00 – 5:00 PM TBA TBA

5:00 – 6:30 PM ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING AND AWARDS SUPPER

EISENHOWER

K a n s a s E n v i r o n m e n t a l H e a l t h A s s o c i a t i o n P a g e 6

ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE 2018

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Salina Group Name: Ks Environmental Health Assoc Arrival Date: 11-Sep-2018 Departure Date: 14-Sep-2018 Please note, the entire URL must be copied and pasted for it to work properly.

https://link.zixcentral.com/u/bd41f293/tkDIRTOX6BG1K4eN50gVhA?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure3.hilton.com%2Fen_US%2Fgi%2Freservation%2Fbook.htm%3FinputModule%3DHOTEL%26ctyhocn%3DSLNTCGI%26spec_plan%3DKEHA%26arrival%3D20180911%26departure%3D20180914%26cid%3DOM%2CWW%2CHILTONLINK%2CEN%2CDirectLink%26fromId%3DHILTONLINKDIRECT

Room Rate: $104/night for the conference (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights)

KEHA 2018 ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE HILTON GARDEN INN, SALINA, KANSAS

SEPTEMBER 12, 13, AND 14, 2018

Friday, September 14, 2018

Time Event/Title of Talk Speaker Name, Title

8:00 – 8:15 AM Opening Remarks & Loading for Tour

8:45 – 10:00 AM Field Demonstration for Effluent Dispersal

Factory Reps for ADS, Eljen, Infiltrator, Presby

10:15 – 11:30AM Trigard Concrete Products Tour

Bob Morris ,Trigard/Hoot

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Returning from Tour

12:00 PM Adjourn

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2018 Bill Spaniol Memorial Scholarship Recipients

There were two scholarships given out this year.

Sandra Ruelas-Aranda who is from Rolla, KS in the southwest part of the state. She will be attending Fort Hays University working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.

Bryce Rogers who is from Olathe, will be attending Kansas State University. He will be work-ing an Environmental Engineering degree.

2018 KEHA Board Members

President

Shawn Esterl

Saline County Environmental Services

300 W Ash, Room 209

Salina, KS 67401

785-309-5813

Shawn.Esterl@Saline.org

1st Vice President

Tim Simons

Shawnee County Health Agency

1515 NW Saline, Suite 221

Topeka, KS 66618

785-251-2457

Tim.Simons@SNCO.US

2nd Vice President

Robert Torres

Pratt County Environmental Services

449 SW 20th Street

Pratt, KS 67142

620-672-4127

Rtorres@prattcounty.org

Secretary

Melissa Wilson

Johnson County Health Department

11811 S Sunset Dr, Suite 2700

Olathe, KS 66061

913-715-6925

Melissa.Wilson@jocogov.org

Treasurer

Beth Rowlands

Kansas Department of Health & Environment

PO Box 1969

Lawrence, KS 66044

785-842-4600

Beth.rowlands@ks.gov

Member At Large

Perry Piper

Riley County Planning & Development

110 Courthouse Plaza

Manhattan, KS 66502

785-537-6332

PPiper@rileycountyks.gov

Past President

Guy Crabill

Franklin County Environmental Health

1428 S Main, Suite 6

Ottawa, KS 66067

785-229-3590

GCrabill@franklincoks.org

Special Section Chair

Randy Barten

Dickinson County Environmental Services

2363 Jeep Road

Abilene, KS 67410

785-263-4780

Rbarten@DKCOKS.org

General Section Chair

Vacant

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Registrations due via email Please return to: by September 1, 2018 Beth Rowlands, KEHA Treasurer

P O Box 1969 Lawrence, KS 66044-1969 Phone: 785-842-4600 Email: beth.rowlands@ks.gov

NAME: ____________________________________________________________________________________

ORGANIZATION: ___________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ___________________________ EMAIL: __________________________________________

Pre Conference Training Registration Workshop on School Inspections Wednesday Only: KEHA member ……....................................................................................$130.00 $ _______

KEHA non-member ………………………………………………….…...$150.00 $ _______ Conference Registration for Thursday and Friday Only: KEHA member ……....................................................................................$120.00 $ _______

KEHA non-member ………………………………………………….…...$150.00 $ _______ 2019 KEHA Membership Dues …………………………………………….……..$20.00 $ _______ Scholarship Donation …………………………………………………………… $ _______

TOTAL AMOUNT DUE………………………………………………………... (Money does NOT have to accompany form.) Invoice will be sent to the address provided. Please make sure information is complete and include one form for each person attending the conference. This information will be used to update the KEHA Membership list.

Kansas Environmental Health Association

2018 Fall Conference Registration

Hilton Garden Inn

3320 S 9th Street, Salina, Kansas

September 12-14, 2018

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Please Check One

__

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Business/Organization Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Address to Send Association Mail: Please Check One Home ______ Business _____ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Contact Phone for Association Business: Please Check One Home ______ Business _____ _______________________________________________________________ Contact Email for Association Business: Please Check One Home ______ Business _____ ___________________________________________________ INDICATE SECTION MEMBERSHIP PREFERRED: ____ General Sanitation Section ____ Special Sanitation Section SERVICE LEVEL: _____ $20.00 Annual Membership Dues (January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019) _____ (No cost) Student Membership

8/3/2018

Mission Statement: The objective of the Kansas Environmental Health Association is to promote competency and effectiveness in Sanitarians and other Environmental Health Professionals engaged in the regulation and management of the Kansas Environment.

Kansas Environmental Health Association

Please Send To:

Beth Rowlands KEHA Treasurer

P. O. Box 1969

Lawrence, KS 66044

K a n s a s E n v i r o n m e n t a l H e a l t h A s s o c i a t i o n P a g e 1 0

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K a n s a s E n v i r o n m e n t a l H e a l t h A s s o c i a t i o n P a g e 1 2

The purpose of this article is to review what chemicals are effective and can legally be used in and around lagoons. I also will review how to properly use them. In no way am I encouraging systems and operators to use more chemicals, regardless of whatever maintenance problems anyone may have. In fact, in my opinion, chemical usage around lagoons is rarely needed. But sometimes, chemical use or treatment is the most sound, economical and effective solution. Should other options be looked at first? Of course. But often the only or best option is to use an approved chemical to solve a specific problem.

In all cases, systems should contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to discuss using chemicals to solve a particular problem. Such contact should be made prior to chemical use. Equally important is to follow all application instructions and dosage recommendations per the label on the package or container. Operators need to read the entire label to understand how the chemical can and cannot be used. Operators must be familiar with all directions, warnings and precautions found on the label. In fact, I recom-mend reading the label prior to purchasing or ordering any chemicals. Just because the manager at the local coop says a particular chemical can be used for a specific problem, still do your own research. During the past several months, I have found two systems using a chemical to control duckweed that was recommended by the local coop. I easily found the label instructions on the Internet and neither was approved for use in water! I can’t stress enough the need to read and following label instructions and restrictions.

Check this publication

Before going into a detailed discussion about chemical use, I first want to recommend a useful publication that I refer to frequently. It is entitled Aquatic Plants and Their Control (Publication C-667, August 2005). It is published by the Kansas State University Extension Service and is without cost online at www.oznet.ksu.edu. The brochure does an excellent job of helping identify various aquatic plants so you know the chemical you choose will provide effective control. It also discusses options other than chemicals such as prevention, mechanical/physical and biological control options. While I believe the publication was originally published for use on ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and drainage ditches, it has applicability to sew-age lagoons also.

Probably the most useful part of Aquatic Plants and Their Control is Table 1 on page 7. This table helps tar-get and rate various herbicides that are available for use in an aquatic environment. The table lists eight (8) different herbicides and then rates them (poor, fair, good or excellent) for controlling specific plants. Those plants include common lagoon problems such as duckweed, cattails, willows and cottonwoods among others. I should mention that one of the chemicals listed is copper sulfate. KDHE strongly discourages, possibly even prohibits, the use of copper sulfate in lagoons for several good reasons. Therefore, copper sulfate should not be considered an option when controlling targeted plants around a wastewater lagoon.

I also encourage reading Table 2 on page 8 that reviews water use restrictions for various herbicides. Re-strictions listed summarize effects on humans (drinking, swimming, fish consumption), livestock watering (dairy and meat), irrigation and agricultural spraying. While lagoons typically have long detention times that would meet most restrictions (measured in days after treatment before use of treated water), it is still an im-portant consideration for which systems must account. Downstream water users should have assurance that water quality has not been adversely affected by the use of chemicals on a discharging lagoon.

The Use of Chemicals On and Around Sewage Lagoons: What’s Effective? What’s Legal?

By Jeff Lamfers, KRWA Consultant, The Kansas Lifeline

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Another problem is the use of chemicals to correct a seasonal turnover. Again, I would like to emphasize not to overreact during turnovers, which typically occur in early spring or late fall. Turnovers occur at times in the spring and fall when air temperatures vary widely. Typically, unseasonable warm days and cool nights can cause them. These air temperatures can also affect lagoon water temperatures, especially if the temperature of the water surface becomes lower than the temperature of water on the bottom of the lagoon. If that happens, the lagoon cell may actually flip, bringing with it solids resting on the bottom of the cell. Those anaerobic sol-ids contain offensive gases such as hydrogen sulfide and methane and can cause odor complaints. Should that occur, then treatment may be needed.

The recommended treatment for a turnover is to add sodium nitrate to the affected cell. Sodium nitrate is read-ily available and comes in granular form, usually in 50-pound bags. When added to a lagoon experiencing a turnover, sodium nitrate provides additional oxygen that hastens the recovery. EPA recommends adding 100 pounds of sodium nitrate per surface acre and then subsequent applications, if needed, of 50 pounds per sur-face acre. The best way to add sodium nitrate is in the wake of a low-horsepower boat motor. Operators should take care when using a boat, not to stir up more solids on the bottom of the pond. Otherwise, the recov-ery and elimination of offensive odors may take even longer.

I would like to make one last comment about adding enzymes or bio-catalysts to sewage lagoons. They are not needed! Raw sewage naturally contains the enzymes needed to promote and sustain good treatment and adding more is simply a waste of money. I have seen several small communities over the years spend thou-sands of dollars for such products with no improvement. If your system is seriously considering adding such chemicals then your supplier needs to provide two things: 1) an independent, third-party study showing the effectiveness of the product; and, 2) a list of other cities or sewer districts that have used their products and treatment dramatically improved (based on actual, verifiable data). Absent either the study or list and data, I would not buy any such products.

If I can ever be of assistance with the operation of a treatment plant or lagoon, please feel free to contact me at either 913-850-8822 or jeff@krwa.net. You may also contact the KRWA office at 785-336-3760. I am also available to discuss the use and effectiveness of any chemical prior to purchase. Again, make sure to carefully evaluate any chemicals that your system plans to purchase in order to make sure it will be use legally and that it will effectively control the targeted aquatic plants causing problems.

Common aquatic plants that show up in lagoons and approved control options:

v Cattails: one of the best ways to control the growth of cattails, especially in the middle of a lagoon, is to maintain minimum water depths of three feet. Most lagoon cells that have at least three feet of water do not generally have cattail problems. The water depth is usually sufficient to prevent sunlight penetration that en-courages cattail growth. However, cattails around the water’s edge are very common and herbicides are an effective means to control them. The most effective herbicides to use are Glyphosate (Rodeo and others) and Imazapyr (Habitat). Both manufacturers recommend adding a surfactant with the herbicide so the solution ad-heres to the plants. Both herbicides are also effective at controlling woody brush and trees such as willows and cottonwoods.

v Duckweed: duckweed is pretty easily identified, as it is one of the few true floating plants found in sewage lagoons. Their root hairs extend down into the water to absorb nutrients to survive and multiply. My recom-mendation to any operator when dealing with duckweed is to not overreact. Persons who have operated a la-goon for several years know, based on past summers, that the duckweed will form a thick blanket that blocks sunlight and affects treatment, then control is needed. But in most cases, duckweed never forms a thick blan-ket and is blown to a corner of the lagoon on a windy day, causing no problems. If treatment is needed, rec-ommended herbicides include Fluridone (Sonar AS and Avast), Diquat (Reward and Weedtrine D) and Ima-

K a n s a s E n v i r o n m e n t a l H e a l t h A s s o c i a t i o n P a g e 1 4

zapyr (Habitat). While each herbicide works differently to control duckweed, most operators report good control. It is also a good idea when treating a heavy duckweed blanket to not treat the entire area in one ap-plication. Instead, only treat a third to half of the surface area at a time, and then wait five to seven days for the next application. Otherwise, the die-off of the entire duckweed blanket will cause dissolved oxygen lev-els to drop dramatically, adversely affecting facultative bacteria breaking down organic matter.

v Filamentous Algae (often referred to as “horsehair” algae Pithophora roettleri that forms floating clumps): while not a real common problem on sewage lagoons, filamentous algae can, like duckweed, block sunlight and adversely affect treatment. Filamentous algae typically form dense, free-floating mats. See the refer-enced photo. This type of algae comes on quickly and can cover much of the surface of a cell in just a few days. Of course, the most effective chemical to use when controlling filamentous algae is copper sulfate, which KDHE prohibits. But there may be other solutions for controlling filamentous algae. I am currently assisting a small community with an aerated three-cell discharging lagoon that has these type algae on the second cell. KDHE has recommended, and we are trying, barley straw to control the algae biologically. The straw is suspended on the surface of the water; as it decomposes it produces hydrogen peroxide. Studies indi-cate that hydrogen peroxide is then toxic to algae. Hopefully this will be an effective solution for this small community. The use of barley straw may also translate to other discharging lagoons needing to reduce exces-sive algae in their effluent that can cause the lagoon to exceed their Total Suspended Solids (TSS) permit limit. Unfortunately, studies have shown that the treated water must be well oxygenated for the process to be successful. My next article in The Lifeline may discuss this treatment option in more detail, especially if ef-fective.

The New York Times reported yesterday that a new-to-the-United-States tick species has been identified in seven states in recent months, after an infestation was first discovered last summer in New Jersey. The tick is native to Asia, where it is known to carry a dangerous virus that kills 15% of the people it bites. But it has spread in recent years—to Australia, New Zealand, several Pacific islands, and now to America.

An invasive tick species surely sounds like something out of a horror film, especially given the explosion of tick popula-tions and tick-borne diseases here in the States in recent years. But before you start freaking out about this specific crit-ter—Haemaphysalis longicornis, or the Asian longhorned tick, as it’s known—let’s put a few things into perspective.

First, none of the Asian longhorned ticks discovered here in the United States has been found to carry any human diseas-es. (According to the New York Times, the longhorned ticks are, at least for now, considered a greater threat to livestock than they are to people.) “People should not extrapolate that just because this tick carries a potentially serious virus in the Far East, that next year everyone here will have that same disease,” John Aucott, MD, director of the Lyme Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, tells Health. "We don't want to connect dots that may never be connected in real life." Plus, he adds, the Asian longhorned tick has only been found in a few localities so far in the United States.

A New Tick Species Is Spreading Across the U.S.—But Here's What You Should Really Worry About

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Cont ’d “We certainly don’t want it spreading all over the country, which is why public health officials should definitely be paying attention to this,” Dr. Aucott says. “But for the general public, there are a lot more important things—both having to do with tick-borne illnesses and other things—that should be of greater concern.”

One of those things is the “very real epidemic” of diseases being spread by ticks native to the United States. “Instead of focusing on the theoretical risk of some exotic imported tick species,” he says, “people should be paying more attention to actually protecting themselves from these much bigger threats.”

Deer ticks, for example (also known as blacklegged ticks), can spread Lyme disease, Powassan virus, and anaplasmosis, among other infections; they can also cause tick paralysis. Their numbers are on the rise throughout the United States, as are the diseases they carry. According to a recent report from lab-testing service Quest Diagnostics, Lyme disease rates have skyrocketed in recent years. Positive test results have now been reported in all 50 states as well as Washington D.C., and several states reported sharp increases in positive test results between 2015 and 2017. (Yes, you may have seen that scary headline this week, too.)

That specific report may not offer the most scientifically reliable data, says Dr. Aucott: It hasn’t been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, it’s based only on tests done by Quest Diagnostics and not by other facilities, and it can only show what state people were in when they tested positive for Lyme disease bacteria—not where they actually were when they were infected.

But in general, he says, the data is in line with other research. “It’s true that Lyme disease has been spreading relentlessly since the 1970s and that it has spread dramatically on the East Coast and in the Upper Midwest especially,” he says. Other conditions spread by different types of native ticks—like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and alpha-gal syndrome (which involves a sudden allergy to red meat)—have also seen increases in recent years. These are the truly scary statistics, says Dr. Aucott, and the real reason people need to be vigilant about ticks that might be lurking in their yards and in nearby grasses and forests.

“Everyone loves to worry about these things, but very few people actually make the effort to protect themselves,” he says. For starters, he recommends wearing long pants when you’re out in the woods or tall grasses, using insect repellant containing DEET, and treating your clothing with permethrin.

“I know it’s no fun to wear long pants in Maryland when it’s 95 degrees, but I do it because I don’t want to get Lyme disease,” he says. “We’ve gotten across to people the importance of wearing a seatbelt and not drinking and driving, but we haven’t yet gotten the message across that tick-bite prevention is something that people should take just as seriously.” Amanda MacMillan , Time Magazine

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The objective of the Kansas Environmental Health Association is to

promote competency and effectiveness in sanitarians and other envi-

ronmentalists engaged in the regulation of the Kansas environment

including, but not limited to, food service establishments, commercial

food preparation facilities, dairy product businesses, meat processing

plants, bakeries, commercial lodging and hotels, swimming pools,

water supplies, wastewater treatment and disposal, solid waste collec-

tion and disposal, air pollution control, radiation control, hazardous

waste materials management, pesticide usage, institutions, schools,

nursing homes, hospitals and health care facilities, recreational

camps and public events.

W E ’RE ON THE WEB AT WWW . KEHA . US

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Sunset from the dam overlooking Pomona Lake in July, 2018