The Environmental Health Division of the Casper-Natrona County Health Department is responsible for performing inspections, investigations, and evaluations to ensure compliance with local and state regulations to preserve and perpetuate a healthy environment.
Staff that work in Environmental Health conduct routine inspections and complaint investigations related to health and sanitation in all food establishments, childcare facilities, schools, body art facilities, and public swimming pools/spas, as well as oversee the permitting, installation, and use of onsite wastewater treatment systems (septic systems).
Quick Navigation
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas, which can cause sudden illness and death, is produced any time a fossil fuel is burned. Many household items including gas- and oil-burning furnaces, portable generators, and charcoal grills produce this poison gas. For more information on carbon dioxide hazards visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage below.
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon can build up to dangerous levels inside any home; this includes new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without a basement. Radon gas is odorless and invisible and the only way to know if your home has a radon problem is to test for it. For more information on radon gas visit the Environmental Protection Agency webpage below.
Asbestos
Asbestos is the name used to group a class of naturally occurring mineral fibers that have been widely used for industrial processes and products and is associated with adverse effects on human health. Beginning in the 1970s, the United States banned many uses of asbestos, but asbestos is still present in old materials and is still used in products such as automobile brakes and roofing materials. When asbestos fibers are disturbed, causing the fibers to float in the air, they can be easily breathed into the lungs and can cause cancer and other lung diseases. For more information on the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Asbestos Program and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry websites below.
Mold
Mold can get in your home through open doors, windows, vents, and heating and air conditioning systems. Mold will grow where there is moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been a flood. Mold can cause many health effects. For some people, mold can cause a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing or wheezing, burning eyes, or skin rash. People with asthma or who are allergic to mold may have severe reactions. Immune-compromised people and people with chronic lung disease may get infections in their lungs from mold. For more information on mold visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website below.
* Casper-Natrona County Environmental Health does not inspect private cases of Mold.
Wells and Drinking Water
Drinking water from private wells are recommended to be tested for bacteriological contamination and nitrates and nitrites at least once. High water season (spring) is the perfect time to test; the high water increases the chances of your water system becoming contaminated. If bacterial contamination is found, instructions to disinfect your well can be found below.
If you are not on a private well or water system, you can access the latest drinking water quality reports for the following municipalities:
Rabies Prevention
Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease. It can be spread to people and pets through the bites and scratches of an infected animal. Rabies primarily affects the central nervous system, leading to severe brain disease and death if medical care is not received before symptoms start.
The best way you can prevent rabies is by:
- Making sure your pets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccines;
- Keeping wildlife wild – stay away from wildlife for both human and animal safety;
- Calling animal control to remove stray animals from your neighborhood;
- Washing bites or scratches immediately with soap and water; and
- Seeking medical care shortly after potential exposures
Learn when to seek medical care for rabies by clicking the link below.
Bedbugs
Bed bugs, a problem worldwide, are resurging, causing property loss, expense, and inconvenience. The good news is that bed bugs do not transmit disease. The best way to prevent bed bugs is regular inspection for signs of an infestation. For more information on bedbugs visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website below.
* Casper-Natrona County Environmental Health does not inspect private cases of Bedbugs.
Ticks
People can be exposed to ticks when walking through, playing or sitting in brushy and grassy areas, or handling certain animals. Serious diseases sometimes spread by infected ticks in Wyoming include tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and Colorado tick fever (CTF). It is important to note that the species of tick which carries Lyme’s Disease does not live in Wyoming and most Wyoming Lyme disease cases traveled to an area where these ticks do live. To learn more about diseases carried by ticks click the link below.
Steps to help avoid tick-related diseases include:
- Apply insect repellents such as those containing 20 percent or more DEET and/or picaradin.
- Wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to see ticks crawling on clothing.
- Tuck pant legs into socks.
- Upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, search yourself and children for ticks and remove if found.
- Check pets for ticks; use tick control products recommended by veterinarians.
- Carefully handle live or dead potentially infected animals such as rabbits and rodents.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes bite day and night. They spread germs through bites that can make you sick. While there are many diseases carried by mosquitoes, the most common disease carried by mosquitoes in Wyoming is West Nile Disease (WND). Prevent illness by protecting yourself and your family from mosquito bites. Learn more about West Nile Disease by clicking the link below.
The “5 D’s” of WNV prevention include:
1) DAWN and 2) DUSK – Mosquitos prefer to feed at dawn or dusk, so avoid spending time outside during these times.
3) DRESS – Wear shoes, socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt outdoors. Clothing should be light-colored and made of tightly woven materials.
4) DRAIN – Mosquitoes breed in shallow, stagnant water. Reduce the amount of standing water by draining and/or removing.
5) DEET – Use an insect repellent containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide). When using DEET, be sure to read and follow label instructions. Picaridin (KBR 3023) or oil of lemon eucalyptus can also be effective.
Rodents
Mice can carry harmful diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), leptospirosis and tularemia. The best way to protect you and your family from these diseases is to keep mice out of you home. For information on controlling rodent infestations, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website below.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that may be carried by some rodents such as the deer mouse and the white footed mouse. Other rodents such as house mice have not been shown to give humans HPS. Since it is hard to tell if a mouse carries hantavirus, it is best to avoid all wild mice and to safely clean up any rodent urine, droppings or nests in your home, sheds or outbuildings. For tips on cleaning up after rodents click the link below.
* Casper-Natrona County Environmental Health does not inspect private cases of Rodents.
Cyanobacteria and Recreational Water
Harmful Cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) are dense concentrations of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae that pose a risk to human, pet, and livestock health. Under normal conditions, cyanobacteria are present at low levels and play an important role in aquatic ecosystems. When HCBs occur, cyanobacteria become visibly abundant and can look like grass clippings, bluish-green scum, or spilled paint on the water surface. Highly visible algae blooms are not unusual occurrences in still waters this time of year, especially when water temperatures have been high.
Cyanobacteria blooms can produce poisons called cyanotoxins and may be associated with other irritants that can cause several health effects in humans, pets, and livestock. Health effects include rashes, itching, numbness, nausea, fatigue, disorientation, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The following is recommended:
- Avoid contact with water in the vicinity of the algae bloom, especially in areas where blue-green algae are dense and form scum.
- Do not drink or consume the water. Boiling, filtration, and/or chlorination will not remove toxins and will not make the water safe for drinking.
- Caution should be taken when eating fish, as health effects remain unknown. Rinse fish with clean water and only eat the filet portion.
- Do not breathe water spray in areas of the bloom.
- Keep pets and livestock away from the water. Do not allow animals to drink the water, eat dried algae, or groom themselves after contact with the water.
- If people, pets, and/or livestock come into contact with a bloom, rinse off with clean water as soon as possible.
If pets or livestock experience adverse health effects after exposure to an algal bloom, seek veterinary care. Young animals, pregnant animals, or animals with a weak immune system are especially at risk.
For more information about the health effects of harmful algal blooms, please see the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website below.
For more information about harmful algae blooms and what is being done in Wyoming about harmful algal blooms, please visit the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s website.
If you or your pets get sick after using the water, call your doctor, veterinarian or the Wyoming Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
Waterbodies under an ADVISORY are not closed. For more information, call the Wyoming Department of Health at 307-777-7656.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality governs and monitors outdoor air quality throughout the state and can best answer questions about regulations and restrictions as well as real time air quality. The Air Quality Division manages air emissions from all fires under two very distinct and separate programs: Smoke Management and Open Burning.
Wildfires can affect the air quality throughout the area due to particulate matter from smoke. Children, people over age 65, and those with known heart and lung problems like asthma and emphysema are more sensitive to lung irritation from these conditions.
Sensitive populations should consider limiting outdoor activities when possible, staying inside with windows and doors closed, and running air conditioning in homes and cars on “recirculate”. See your healthcare provider if you have concerns about your health or any of the following: shortness of breath, a cough that is persistent or worsening, chest pain or tightness, or significant weakness or fatigue.
Resources
EPA’s Smoke-Ready Toolbox for Wildfires
Citizen scientists can use the app to learn about wildland fires and smoke health risks in their area.
Use these maps to find the real-time air quality where you live.