Press Release

State public health officials from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment say the risk to the general public is low for novel coronavirus in Colorado. At the same time, state officials continue to investigate possible cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in patients with respiratory symptoms and travel history to China. The department is preparing for a swift response if the virus is found in the state. To date, Colorado has no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday, January 21 that they reached a settlement with K.P. Kauffman Company, Inc. (KPK), an oil and gas firm headquartered in Denver. 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment now has additional resources available for public drinking water system operators to test for persistent chemicals that originate from toxic firefighting foam and other sources. The department secured $500,000 in supplemental funding from the state legislature. Public water system operators can apply for funding through Jan. 29, 2020.

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, and the state health department encourages women ages 21-74 across Colorado to start the year by talking with their health care providers about scheduling a Pap test. A Pap test is the first line of defense against cervical cancer. When cervical cancer is found early, more than 92% of women had a five-year survival.

Students from Windsor and Montrose took top honors in this year’s radon awareness poster contest.

Quitting smoking is among the most common New Year’s resolutions. And starting January 1, for a limited time, Colorado Medicaid members will get $10 when they enroll in the Colorado QuitLine at 1-800-QUIT-NOW and ask for the incentive. Coaching and nicotine patches or gum are still free and available to any tobacco user trying to quit.

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission approved the first set of ambitious rules designed to minimize emissions from oil and gas operations state-wide yesterday. The rules will help reduce ozone pollution and protect the health of Coloradans and the air they breathe.

The state’s air monitoring mobile lab measured a benzene level that is above the health-based screening guideline for short-term health impacts. The state health department does not believe people were harmed by this single elevated measurement but is taking swift action to investigate the cause of the elevated level and conduct additional monitoring. The state has been conducting targeted air monitoring after releasing the findings of the Human Health Risk Assessment for Oil and Gas Operations in Colorado study in the fall. 

As the holidays get closer, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reminds Coloradans to follow some simple food safety tips so their holiday feast doesn’t turn into a holiday fiasco.