Galena Community Members, Deserve for their voice to be heard!

If you are experiencing environmental concerns like persistent landfill odors (including hydrogen sulfide), air quality issues, or health symptoms you believe may be related to local environmental conditions, you can contact the following agencies. These contacts are provided to help you report concerns, request inspections, and access official information and assistance.

To report an odor with the City of Galena, please do so here: https://galenaks.gov/documents/odor-complaint-form/

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE)

General Contact / Main Office

  • Phone: 785-296-1500 – KDHE main line

Environmental or Air Quality Concerns

  • Air Pollution Complaints / Air Quality Reporting: 785-296-1556
  • Air Program (Permits & General Air Info): 785-296-6024
  • Anywhere in Kansas may call the Compliance and Enforcement Section at 785-296-6422

To report a concern to KDHE, please do so here: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1130/Concerns-Feedback

KDHE Bureau of Environmental Field Services

This bureau helps answer questions about environmental issues, inspections, and technical support across Kansas.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 7)

EPA Region 7 Customer Service Line:

  • 913-551-7003 or (toll-free) 1-800-223-0425

Report Environmental Violations: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations

  • Survey Responses for Galena Kansas 0.0% 0.0%

Goal: 300 Responses

The purpose of this Environmental Risk Survey is to better understand how landfill related odors, particularly hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, may be impacting the health, daily lives, and well being of residents in Galena.

Many Galena community members have reported persistent sulfur like odors in and around their homes, concerns about air quality, and possible health symptoms they believe may be connected to landfill operations. While individual experiences are often dismissed when reported alone, community wide data tells a much stronger story. This survey is designed to respectfully document those experiences in a structured, confidential, and evidence based way.

By collecting information directly from residents, this survey helps:

  • Identify patterns of odor exposure and health symptoms
  • Document how often, where, and when odors are occurring
  • Support residents in advocating for accountability, monitoring, and mitigation
  • Provide data that can be shared with local officials, health agencies, regulators, and environmental professionals
  • Lay the groundwork for future air monitoring, public health assessments, and policy action

Your participation is voluntary, and your responses will be used only for environmental health research, community advocacy, and public-interest reporting. No single response stands alone, but together, they help create a clearer picture of what Galena residents are experiencing and what actions may be needed to protect community health.

This survey is one step toward ensuring that community voices are heard, concerns are taken seriously, and decisions affecting Galena are informed by the lived experiences of the people who call it home.

🔒 Privacy Statement

Why we ask for your address:
To ensure the accuracy and integrity of this survey, participants are asked to provide their home address. This allows us to verify that responses are unique and reflect real residential experiences within the community.

Your privacy is protected. Addresses will never be shared publicly or with third parties. When survey results are mapped or displayed, addresses are converted into generalized location points to show community-level patterns only. No individual household locations will be identifiable.

Galena Kansas Environmental Risk Survey

Environmental Risk Assessment for Galena Kansas Residents.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
(This helps us identify possible disease or pollution hotspots. Your address will never be shared and will only be used for community health mapping.) If you're not comfortable sharing your full address, please provide one of the following: the nearest intersection, the name of your neighborhood, the nearest school or landmark.
Do you live near a landfill?
Certain job sectors, such as manufacturing, mining, and agriculture, can involve high levels of chemical or particulate exposure that may impact respiratory, neurological, or reproductive health. Tracking employment sectors helps identify occupational exposure clusters and better understand the relationship between work environments and community health trends.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Landfills generate gases as waste breaks down, including hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), methane, and other volatile compounds. These gases can irritate the respiratory system, particularly the nose, throat, and lungs. Even at low concentrations, repeated exposure to irritating gases can contribute to coughing, throat irritation, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. People with pre-existing conditions such as asthma or chronic bronchitis may be especially sensitive, experiencing flare ups or worsening symptoms during odor events. Tracking respiratory symptoms helps identify whether breathing related concerns are more common or more severe in areas affected by landfill emissions.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Hydrogen sulfide is known to affect the nervous system because it interferes with how cells use oxygen at a cellular level. While high level exposures are rare, chronic low level exposure has been associated in studies with symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, difficulty concentrating, and memory issues. These symptoms are often reported in communities experiencing persistent sulfur like odors. Because neurological symptoms can be subtle and easily dismissed, documenting them at a community level helps identify potential patterns that may warrant further investigation.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
The eyes, nose, and throat are often the first parts of the body to react to airborne irritants. Hydrogen sulfide and other landfill related gases can cause burning, redness, watering of the eyes, nasal irritation, sore throat, and a metallic or sulfur taste. These symptoms frequently occur during active odor events and may improve when exposure stops. Tracking EENT symptoms helps establish whether residents are experiencing immediate sensory effects consistent with poor air quality.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Strong odors and airborne pollutants can trigger nausea, stomach discomfort, and appetite changes in some individuals. Hydrogen sulfide exposure, even at low levels, is commonly associated with nausea and vomiting in occupational and environmental health literature. Additionally, stress responses to persistent odors may also contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. By documenting these experiences, the survey helps determine whether digestive symptoms coincide with odor presence or landfill activity.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Environmental stressors, such as strong odors, poor air quality, and ongoing exposure concerns, can place physical stress on the body. Some individuals report heart palpitations, chest discomfort, or dizziness during odor events. While these symptoms can have many causes, they may reflect stress responses or physiological reactions to environmental irritants. Tracking cardiovascular-related symptoms helps public health professionals assess whether environmental conditions could be contributing to physical strain in the community.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Airborne pollutants from landfill emissions can irritate the skin and trigger rashes, itching, or burning sensations, particularly in sensitive individuals. Repeated exposure may also lead to heightened sensitivity to smells or chemical odors over time. Some people develop headaches or nausea specifically triggered by certain smells, even at low concentrations. Documenting skin and sensory reactions helps identify whether residents are experiencing patterns of sensitivity consistent with environmental exposure.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Living with persistent odors and environmental uncertainty can significantly impact mental health. Ongoing concerns about air quality, health risks, and lack of clear answers may contribute to anxiety, stress, irritability, sleep disturbances, or feelings of helplessness. These impacts are a recognized part of environmental health and justice research. Including mental and emotional well being acknowledges that environmental issues affect more than just physical health, they affect quality of life.
Please select all conditions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the last 6 months.
Environmental exposures and reproductive health are an active area of scientific research. Some studies suggest that long term exposure to environmental pollutants may be associated with fertility challenges, pregnancy complications, or developmental concerns in children. This survey does not attempt to establish cause and effect relationships but instead seeks to document community experiences. Collecting this information helps identify whether certain outcomes appear more frequently in areas affected by long standing environmental exposures, which can inform future public health research.
Additional Information
Have you experienced the odor in your home?
Have you experienced the odor coming from your water pipes?
Have guests in your home commented or complained about the odor?
Please enter a number from 1 to 100.
Please enter a number from 1 to 100.
Has anyone in your household tested positive for lead poisoning?
Has your property or yard ever been tested positive for lead or heavy metals?
Was your home built before 1978?
Do you have mining chat in your foundation?
Are your HVAC ducts in the floors?
Did you ever play in mining chat or swim in mining holes as a child?
If yes, please provide the best way to reach you (email, phone, or mailing address):

Why We’re Clearing the Air

Source(s):

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6733a7.htm

This survey is part of the Clearing the Air initiative, a community based effort to better understand environmental health concerns across the Tri-State Mining region.

This map was one of the first things that helped me understand my path in life.

In 2017, I experienced a miscarriage. I was told there was no clear explanation, that sometimes these things simply happen. While that can be true, I couldn’t fully accept the idea that there was no reason why.

That experience led me to begin researching infant loss, infertility, and environmental health patterns across the United States. Along the way, I encountered maps showing higher rates of infertility and adverse health outcomes in certain regions, particularly in agricultural states, industrial areas, and communities located near waterways or long standing pollution sources. Seeing those patterns changed how I viewed the world around me.

I wanted to understand the science behind what I was seeing, which led me to pursue education in environmental and geographic sciences, and, eventually, to learn how to create and analyze these maps myself.

Today, Clearing the Air has grown into a multi-community environmental risk and advocacy initiative. Through county specific surveys, we work to document lived experiences related to air quality, odors, industrial activity, and potential environmental exposures. Each survey is tailored to reflect the unique concerns of the community it serves.

Too often, people are told there is “no reason why.” I believe there may be more factors at play than we currently recognize, whether that’s growing up around mining waste, living near landfills or industrial hubs, or long term exposure to environmental pollutants.

If you haven’t already, please consider participating in this survey. Your experience matters, and your voice helps build the data needed to advocate for awareness, accountability, and healthier communities.

Let your voice be heard 🫶💛
Kaylann Loraine