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Blog Against Smog

GASP to ACHD: Revised Coke Oven Regs Must Better Protect Community from H2S, Other Air Pollutants

May 12, 2022

GASP to ACHD: Revised Coke Oven Regs Must Better Protect Community from H2S, Other Air Pollutants

GASP joined residents and fellow clean air advocates at a public hearing in Clairton Wednesday night to tell the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) that its revised coke oven regulations must do more to protect the community from emissions emanating from U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works operations. In his testimony, GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell would have homed in on the Mon Valley’s hydrogen sulfide (H2S) problem and encouraged health officials to take advant

Air Quality Exceedances Abound This Week at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty Monitor

Mar 15, 2022

Air Quality Exceedances Abound This Week at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty Monitor

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Tuesday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning for Tuesday and all of Wednesday. That, of course, meant that the rolling 24-hour average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) level at ACHD’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough exceeded the federal health-based standard *and* that ACHD is confident poor air quality is likely to continue. For those who might need a refresher on the Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, chec

GASP to Allegheny County Board of Health: Leverage Your Authority & Demand More From ACHD

Mar 2, 2022

GASP to Allegheny County Board of Health: Leverage Your Authority & Demand More From ACHD

The Allegheny County Board of Health meeting’s public comment period Wednesday was dominated by residents who expressed their concern over various air quality issues, with some speaking out about recent bad-air episodes while others addressed the draft operating permit for U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, as well as a lack of information from the Air Quality Program regarding recent regulation changes. GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell was among those in attendance, t

Mon Valley Sees 2nd Exceedance of PA Hydrogen Sulfide Air Quality Standard of the Year Wednesday

Jan 13, 2022

Mon Valley Sees 2nd Exceedance of PA Hydrogen Sulfide Air Quality Standard of the Year Wednesday

It was the second such exceedance of the year at that air quality monitor, according to preliminary data. As a reminder, H2S concentrations at the Liberty monitor exceeded the state 24-hour average standard 54 times last year – which was more than two times 2020’s numbers. There were 18 other such exceedances at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough. Despite the regularity with which these exceedances occur – and despite regularly

GASP, Fellow Activists & Residents Tell Board of Health: You’re Not Taking This Seriously

Jan 6, 2022

GASP, Fellow Activists & Residents Tell Board of Health: You’re Not Taking This Seriously

Longtime Clairton resident Art Thomas didn’t mince words Wednesday when he spoke before the Allegheny County Board of Health, telling members that if he was a teacher, he would assign the health department an F grade for air quality enforcement. Mr. Thomas was one of many who spoke out at the meeting to demand better from public health officials on air quality matters, asking them to improve the frequency and substance of public communications surrounding air pollution issues

Tuesday Marked First Hydrogen Sulfide Exceedance of the Year for Allegheny County

Jan 5, 2022

Tuesday Marked First Hydrogen Sulfide Exceedance of the Year for Allegheny County

Well, that didn’t take long: The first exceedance of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average hydrogen sulfide (H2S) standard is already in the books. Concentrations of H2S (known by its distinct rotten egg stench) exceeded the state’s 24-hour average standard Wednesday at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty Borough, according to preliminary data. Last year, H2S concentrations at the Liberty monitor exceeded Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average standard 54 tim

2 More H2S Exceedances for Mon Valley, Still No Word from ACHD on What’s Being Done to Stem Issue

Nov 29, 2021

2 More H2S Exceedances for Mon Valley, Still No Word from ACHD on What’s Being Done to Stem Issue

That makes 48 days so far this year that H2S levels exceeded the air quality standard at the Liberty monitor. There have been 17 other such exceedances at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough. Despite the rising number of H2S exceedances, ACHD has provided the public with no update on what’s causing the issue and what is being done to address it. While the department issued an enforcement order in April against U.S. Steel for H2S violations at its Clairton Cok

GASP Joins Partners in Response to Bombshell Media Reports About U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Maintenance

Nov 22, 2021

GASP Joins Partners in Response to Bombshell Media Reports About U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Maintenance

Breathe Project in responding to bombshell media reports published in Allegheny Front and Public Source Friday analyzing court documents that show that U.S. Steel allowed its Mon Valley operations to fall into disrepair at the expense of the health of local residents. You can – and should – read the series (links to all of them are at the bottom of this story), which sheds more light on what exactly caused the 2018 Christmas Eve fire that left the Clairton Coke Works without

Abysmal Air Quality Returns to Mon Valley as Three More H2S Exceedances Noted

Nov 18, 2021

Abysmal Air Quality Returns to Mon Valley as Three More H2S Exceedances Noted

The likely culprit? Another day with sky-high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (called H2S for short, an air pollutant known by its telltale rotten-egg odor) at the Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitors in both Liberty and North Braddock boroughs. Adding to the discomfort, levels of fine particulate pollution were elevated throughout the day, with AirNow.gov showing NowCast AQI values for the Liberty-Clairton as high as 152 – which the EPA classifies as

<UPDATED> Abysmal Air Quality Continues in the Mon Valley

Nov 8, 2021

<UPDATED> Abysmal Air Quality Continues in the Mon Valley

For the third day in a row, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels were so high Tuesday that an exceedance of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average was guaranteed by 10 a.m. at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. Tuesday’s exceedance will mark the 43rd of the year at the Liberty monitor. There have been 16 such exceedances at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock, the most recent of which occurred Monday. Unfortunately, the Mon Valley grappled

Mon Valley Sees 55th H2S Exceedance, Liberty-Clairton Air Quality Again Worst in Nation Friday

Nov 5, 2021

Mon Valley Sees 55th H2S Exceedance, Liberty-Clairton Air Quality Again Worst in Nation Friday

For a time this morning, AirNow.gov showed the Liberty-Clairton area as having the worst NowCast Air Quality Index (AQI) in the nation when it soared to 156. According to the EPA, air quality in the affected area was “unhealthy,” meaning that people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, and teens should have avoided strenuous outdoor activities, kept outdoor activities short, and considered moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them to reduce exposu

Liberty Air Quality Monitor Experiences Malfunction; GASP, ACHD Provide Answers

Oct 27, 2021

Liberty Air Quality Monitor Experiences Malfunction; GASP, ACHD Provide Answers

At GASP we review air quality data the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) publishes on a regular basis. Today we noticed previously published data disappear from ACHD’s Daily Summary report. This is an issue that happens from time to time and wanted to take time to explain if you’ve ever noticed a similar phenomenon. This particular case started Tuesday morning when GASP staff reviewed the hourly air quality data ACHD publishes on its website here. The report page show

UPDATED: Mon Valley Experiences Another Air Quality Exceedance, GASP Asks Allegheny Co. Health Dept.

Oct 25, 2021

UPDATED: Mon Valley Experiences Another Air Quality Exceedance, GASP Asks Allegheny Co. Health Dept.

By 9 a.m. Monday, concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were so high at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough that an exceedance of Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average was already guaranteed. That makes 15 exceedances of the state standard so far this year at that site for H2S, which has a tell-tale rotten egg odor those in the Mon Valley (and folks downwind of it) endure all too often. For those keeping track, there have also been 3

More Unhealthy Air Quality, Exceedances Pervade Mon Valley – Update on H2S Problem Needed

Jun 7, 2021

More Unhealthy Air Quality, Exceedances Pervade Mon Valley – Update on H2S Problem Needed

The colorless gas is most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” odor and concentrations exceeded the Pennsylvania 24-hour average standard of 0.005 ppm on both Saturday (0.007 ppm) and Sunday (0.009 ppm) at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty borough. “There have been 24 H2S exceedances so far this year at Liberty. That’s only one less than in all of 2020, but it’s also worth noting that the first exceedance in 2021 at that monitor didn’t occ

Mon Valley Experiences Multi-Day Bad-Air Episode, Two More Air Quality Exceedances

May 17, 2021

Mon Valley Experiences Multi-Day Bad-Air Episode, Two More Air Quality Exceedances

It was a rough weekend of air quality for the Mon Valley, which experienced another days-long bad-air episode and two more air quality exceedances. The Liberty-Clairton air shed – Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln, and Port Vue – was regularly at the top of AirNow.gov’s list of areas with the worst air quality in the nation over the past week, and was the subject of a state Department of Environmental Protection Agency (DEP) Code Orange Air Quality Action Day on Saturday.

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning; Yet Another H2 Exceedance Noted

Apr 24, 2021

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning; Yet Another H2 Exceedance Noted

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 12:53 p.m. Saturday to include information about an H2S exceedance. Allegheny County Health Department on Saturday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning through its Allegheny Alerts system. The message read: An Air Pollution Warning has been issued for the Mon Valley. The 24-hour PM2.5 standard for the Mon Valley has been exceeded at an official monitoring station in the Mon Valley and is likely to continue. Young children,

Another Weekend, Another H2S Air Quality Exceedance for Mon Valley

Apr 19, 2021

Another Weekend, Another H2S Air Quality Exceedance for Mon Valley

The average concentration yesterday was 0.006 ppm, according to preliminary health department data. The state 24-hour standard is 0.005 ppm. The Sunday H2S exceedance was the sixth so far this month and the 13th so far this year at the Liberty monitor. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas most commonly recognized by its “rotten egg” smell. This most recent exceedance comes in the wake of a Notice of Violation issued by ACHD to U.S. Steel on April 1 regarding H2S emissions. The

Thursday Marked Fourth Straight Day of Hydrogen Sulfide Exceedances in the Mon Valley

Mar 12, 2021

Thursday Marked Fourth Straight Day of Hydrogen Sulfide Exceedances in the Mon Valley

The values in red denote exceedances of PA’s 24-hour H2S standard of 0.005 ppm. Thursday marked the fourth straight day of air quality exceedances in the Mon Valley, with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations again exceeding the Pennsylvania standard at Allegheny County Health Department’s Liberty monitor – the 24-hour average H2S concentration was 0.009 ppm at the Liberty monitor. The PA standard is 0.005 ppm. That means there were H2S exceedances at the Liberty air quality

Allegheny County Health Department: Federal Air Quality Standards Attained at All Monitors for 1st T

Jan 27, 2021

Allegheny County Health Department: Federal Air Quality Standards Attained at All Monitors for 1st T

Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced in a press release Tuesday that, for the first time in its history, all air quality monitors in Allegheny County have met federal air quality standards. This means air quality in the county now meets federal, health-based standards for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10). “This achievement comes after years of hard work by the Health Department, federal and state agencies, and local i

Special Report: How COVID-19 Impacted Allegheny County Air Quality

May 28, 2020

Special Report: How COVID-19 Impacted Allegheny County Air Quality

Stay-at-home orders issued by local and state governments this spring have led to more people working and taking classes from home, which means fewer cars on the road. They also spurred business closures or slowdowns that likely reduced industrial emissions. But how much was our local air quality affected since the shutdown began? To answer that question, GASP examined daily average PM2.5 concentrations at the Liberty, Parkway East, and Avalon monitor sites and then compared

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