21 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita’s GraceMed acquired funding to provide free lab screenings for people who may have been exposed to chemical contamination in the 29th and Grove area.
These screenings will test for trace amounts of TCE (trichloroethylene), a chemical known to cause liver cancer and other health problems.
“It’s gradually lessened over the course of time, but the risk is still there,” Julie Elder, chief medical officer for GraceMed, said. “And so I think that’s the important thing to remember, is that it’s just important to get checked out, understand what your exposures are.”
People concerned about their exposure levels are urged to make an appointment to be tested. Insurance is not required for the labs or for the visit.
“Because not everybody has the same degree of exposure, the same route of exposure, you know, they might’ve been there for a year, they might’ve been there for 20 years, so it’s really going to vary from person to,” said Elder.
In May, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) released the results of a study conducted on the 29th and Grove environmental site in Wichita. The site has contamination that, the KDHE says, originated with a leak of chemicals at the Union Pacific rail yard approximately 30 years ago.
The site is within the borders of Interstate 135 to the west, 29th Street to the North, Grove to the east and stretches south to around Ninth Street.
The KDHE said the contamination in the area originated with a leak of chemicals at the Union Pacific rail yard approximately 30 years ago or even as far back as the 1970s.