I Worked Near 29th and Grove, Do I Qualify for Free Health Testing?

If you worked in northeast Wichita, anywhere in the area bounded by I-135, K-96 highway, Grove Street, and extending south to Murdock Avenue, you may have been exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) or perchloroethylene (PCE) through the air inside the building where you worked, every single day you showed up for your shift. And you qualify for free health testing through Clearway Testing right now, at no cost to you, with no insurance required.

Here is why your work history matters, and what you should do about it.

Quick Facts for Workers:

• You do not have to have been a resident to qualify for free testing
• Workplace exposure to TCE and PCE through indoor air is a documented and studied exposure pathway
• Testing is free through December 31, 2026 at multiple Wichita-area clinics
• No insurance is needed
• You do not need to currently work or live in the area

The building you worked in may have been a warehouse, a school, a clinic, an office, a retail space, or any other commercial or industrial structure sitting above or near the contaminated groundwater plume. The type of workplace does not matter. What matters is whether the building was located within the contamination zone, and whether TCE or PCE vapors from that groundwater found their way into the indoor air you were breathing during your work hours.

What Is Vapor Intrusion?

Vapor intrusion is the process by which volatile chemicals in contaminated groundwater evaporate from the soil and migrate upward into buildings through foundation cracks, gaps around pipes, floor drains, and sump systems. Once inside, those vapors accumulate in the indoor air. People in the building breathe them in without knowing it, because TCE and PCE at typical groundwater contamination concentrations are odorless. There is no smell. No visible sign. No warning.

This is not a theoretical concern at the 29th and Grove site. KDHE has been conducting indoor air testing at properties across the contamination plume for years as part of the ongoing site evaluation and remediation program. The contamination plume extends 2.9 miles south through residential and commercial areas from the Union Pacific railyard. Commercial and industrial buildings sit throughout that zone.

How Vapor Intrusion Works in Commercial Buildings:

Pathway	Description
Foundation cracks	TCE vapors enter through gaps in concrete slabs and basement walls
Pipe penetrations	Openings around utility pipes allow vapor migration into occupied spaces
Floor drains	Open drains provide direct pathways from subsurface soil gas to indoor air
Sump systems	Sump pits can act as direct vapor entry points into buildings
HVAC systems	In some cases, fresh air intakes near vapor sources can draw contaminated air into circulation

For someone who worked in a building in the contamination zone five days a week for years, the cumulative exposure through vapor intrusion could be significant, even if the concentration on any given day seemed low.

Who Counts as a Worker Under Clearway Testing Eligibility?

Clearway Testing eligibility for workers is broad. There is no narrow category of qualifying job type. If you spent regular time in the contamination zone for work, you are eligible to be tested.

Workers who should consider getting tested include people who held jobs at businesses, warehouses, or distribution facilities located within the contamination zone; school employees and school staff who worked at schools in northeast Wichita; healthcare workers, social service workers, or nonprofit staff based in buildings in the area; construction and trades workers who spent weeks or months on job sites within the plume; delivery drivers, mail carriers, or service technicians who regularly worked routes or calls in the affected area; childcare and early education workers at facilities in the zone; and retail, food service, and service industry employees who clocked regular hours in buildings throughout the contamination area.

You do not need to have worked at the railyard. You do not need to have worked with chemicals in any capacity. The exposure pathway that matters for most workers in this area is vapor intrusion from contaminated groundwater beneath buildings where they worked.

How Long You Worked There Matters, But There Is No Minimum

The longer you worked in the contamination zone, the more cumulative exposure you may have had. There is no minimum employment duration as a condition of eligibility. If you believe your time working in the area may have included exposure to TCE or PCE, whether that was one year or twenty, you qualify for the free screening.

This matters because many people who worked in the area for shorter periods, or who worked there on and off across different jobs over the years, assume they fall below some threshold of concern. There is no such threshold in the program’s eligibility criteria. If you had a workplace connection to northeast Wichita or anywhere else in Sedgwick County where groundwater contamination has been identified, you are eligible.

The Latency Problem: Why Workers Need to Think About This Now

The health effects associated with TCE exposure follow a long and quiet timeline. The documented latency period between TCE exposure and the development of related cancers ranges from 18 to 34 years. That means someone who worked in the contamination zone through the 1990s or early 2000s and has since moved on to a different job, a different neighborhood, even a different city, may be approaching the period when related health effects are most likely to emerge.

Health conditions linked to long-term TCE and PCE exposure:

• Kidney cancer, particularly renal cell carcinoma
• Liver cancer and elevated liver enzymes
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Neurological effects including memory problems, headaches, and dizziness
• Immune system effects, including increased susceptibility to autoimmune conditions
• For women who were pregnant during their time in the area, possible developmental effects on children born during that period

A KDHE health study finalized in April 2023 found elevated rates of liver cancer in the 29th and Grove study area. Both liver cancer and kidney cancer typically develop without obvious symptoms in early stages. By the time a person notices something wrong, the disease has often progressed well beyond where it started.

Getting tested now, whether you feel healthy or not, gives you and your doctor a clear picture of where things stand, and the best opportunity to address anything that may need attention while early intervention is still most effective.

What the Free Testing Includes

Health testing through Clearway partners is designed to evaluate organ function and check for health effects that may be linked to past chemical exposure. These tests do not look for TCE or PCE in your body. They assess how your body is functioning today.

Testing through Clearway partner clinics includes a complete blood count, which checks blood health, immune function, and screens for anemia; a comprehensive metabolic panel, which evaluates liver function, kidney function, blood glucose levels, and electrolytes; urinalysis to assess kidney health and detect early signs of organ stress; a basic medical checkup that varies by location; and at select locations, an alpha-fetoprotein test for liver health screening and abdominal ultrasound for qualifying patients.

After your appointment, a nurse or health professional from the Clearway program will call you personally to explain your results and answer your questions. If your results indicate anything that needs follow-up care, you will be connected to trusted local providers. The process does not end with a piece of paper in the mail. Someone calls you, explains what the results mean in plain language, and helps you figure out next steps if needed.

Do I Need to Still Work in the Area?

No. You can have left that job years ago, and you still qualify for free testing today.

The exposure happened in the past. The testing program exists precisely to reach people whose workplace history puts them in the contamination zone, regardless of whether they are still there. Former employees of businesses that may no longer even exist in the area are eligible. Someone who worked at a school on the east side of Wichita in 1995 and retired ten years ago is just as eligible as someone who currently works in the area today.

No Insurance Required

Clearway Testing was specifically designed to remove financial barriers. The program is funded through $3.5 million in grants from the State of Kansas, the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, and philanthropic partners, specifically so that people without insurance, people with high deductibles, and people who have put off testing for cost reasons can get screened at no cost.

Whether you are currently insured, between jobs, on a high-deductible plan, or have never carried insurance in your life, the testing is free. No copay. No bill. No insurance card needed at the door.

Where to Get Tested

Clearway Testing Partner Clinics:

• GraceMed Health Clinic | 316-866-2000 | gracemed.org
• HealthCore Clinic | 316-691-0249 | healthcoreclinic.org
• Hunter Health | 316-262-2415 | hunterhealth.org
• Love Clinic and Med Spa | 316-669-4770 | loveclinicmedspa.com
• Wichita Black Nurses Association | 316-249-1926 | wichitabna.org

If you are homebound and cannot travel to a clinic, contact the Wichita Black Nurses Association at 316-882-1778 to inquire about a free at-home visit.

Your Work History Is Part of Your Health History

The time you spent working in northeast Wichita is not separate from your health picture. It is part of it. The same way a physician asks about where you have lived, what you have been exposed to, and what your occupational history includes, your years of work in the contamination zone are relevant clinical information.

Clearway Testing exists to make sure that information leads somewhere useful. You are eligible. The testing is free. Free testing is available through December 31, 2026.