An intensive study of the potential health hazards from large hog operationswill soon be launched by the Iowa Department of Public Health and severalother agencies. Ken Choquette, the department’s bureau chief ofenvironmental health, explains the goals of the hog lot study.Choquette says about ten Iowa hog operations will be chosen that’ll berepresentative of lots across the state. He says in-depth studies will beperformed on the field application of manure and chemicals and how groundwater and nearby waterways may be effected.He says the probe will be getting underway this fall.He says they should have all the data collected by mid May.Other entities taking part in the study include: the U-S E-P-A, the IowaD-N-R, the Centers for Disease Control, the U-S Geological Survey, and bothIowa and Iowa State Universities.