#hydrogensulfide

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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

No Surprise: U.S. Steel Appeals Allegheny County Health Department $1.8M Enforcement Order Over H2S

Apr 18, 2022

No Surprise: U.S. Steel Appeals Allegheny County Health Department $1.8M Enforcement Order Over H2S

As expected, the infamously-litigious U.S. Steel Corp. has appealed a March 7 Allegheny County Health Department enforcement order for illegal hydrogen sulfide emissions from its Clairton Coke Works. In the 23-page appeal filed April 5 and posted to the ACHD website this weekend, the company asks an Allegheny County hearing officer to vacate the order and the $1.8 million fine that came along with it. U.S. Steel used the usual appeal argument: That ACHD “abused its discretion

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Clean Air Fund ‘Planning Framework,’ U.S. Steel’s Request, and an H2S Stu

Apr 12, 2022

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Clean Air Fund ‘Planning Framework,’ U.S. Steel’s Request, and an H2S Stu

Allegheny County Health Department leaders on Monday night proposed a long-term “spending framework” for its Clean Air Fund, saying that “considerable challenges lay ahead” that will require a more strategic approach to how that money is spent. As if ripped from the pages of a drama class textbook, the discussion that ensued over this and other matters related to the Clean Air Fund had the set-up, confrontation, and resolution of a classic three-act drama. Air Pollution Contr

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

UPDATED: Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues $1.8 Million Fine Against U.S. Steel for H2S Emissions

Mar 7, 2022

UPDATED: Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues $1.8 Million Fine Against U.S. Steel for H2S Emissions

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department issued the following news release Monday morning. The release followed GASP’s publication of a blog highlighting a recent report that places the blame for years of hydrogen sulfide exceedances “entirely” on U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility. Check back, we are following this issue closely and will update you when more information becomes available. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that

<UPDATED> No More Excuses for U.S. Steel: ACHD Finds Clairton Coke Works “Entirely” Responsibl

Mar 7, 2022

<UPDATED> No More Excuses for U.S. Steel: ACHD Finds Clairton Coke Works “Entirely” Responsibl

Editor’s Note: The Allegheny County Health Department today in a press release announced that it has fined U.S. Steel more than $1.8 million for H2S violations. You can read all about that on our blog. The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) last week published a comprehensive study analyzing potential sources of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that have been driving exceedances of the Pennsylvania 24-hour average H2S standard at its air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. The 3

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

<UPDATED> More H2S Exceedances at Liberty, Mon Valley Residents Report Stench

Feb 22, 2022

<UPDATED> More H2S Exceedances at Liberty, Mon Valley Residents Report Stench

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 10:35 a.m. Feb. 23 to include an updated H2S chart. Users of CMU CreateLab’s crowd-sourcing app SmellPG reported the usual odors – saying the pungent air that seeped in through their windows last night and this morning was reminiscent of rotten eggs. Some said it was a strong sulfur smell. Others called it “industrial.” The possible culprit could be the elevated concentrations of hydrogen sulfide that have pervaded the Mon Valley Monday

Unhealthy Air, Stench Return as Mon Valley Sees 5th H2S Exceedance of Year, GASP Calls for Answers

Feb 17, 2022

Unhealthy Air, Stench Return as Mon Valley Sees 5th H2S Exceedance of Year, GASP Calls for Answers

Wednesday marked the fifth time so far this year that levels of hydrogen sulfide (AKA H2S, an air pollutant distinguished by its rotten-egg odor) exceeded the state’s 24-hour average standard at Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality monitor in Liberty Borough. Preliminary data also show that while concentrations of H2S were also elevated at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock, the 24-hour average was close to – but just short of – an exceedance. Local resi

2022's 4th Exceedance of PA’s H2S Air Quality Standard Noted in Mon Valley; Still No Word from ACHD

Jan 24, 2022

2022's 4th Exceedance of PA’s H2S Air Quality Standard Noted in Mon Valley; Still No Word from ACHD

Sadly, if you live in the Mon Valley, this likely isn’t news: Air quality was terrible early Saturday, with AirNow.gov showing “unhealthy” NowCast AQI values that were – for a time – the worst in the nation. Users took to the CMU CREATE Lab’s SmellPGH app to share their complaints and concerns, describing physical symptoms like nausea, headaches, scratchy throats, and respiratory trouble. One user noted the lack of action from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), wr

Allegheny County Health Department Releases 2020 Air Quality Report

Jan 13, 2022

Allegheny County Health Department Releases 2020 Air Quality Report

Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) in December 2021 provided its yearly analysis and summary of air quality monitoring data, posting to its website the 2020 Annual Air Quality Report. This report “reflects air quality as sampled and validated by ACHD through the 2020 calendar year.” The 44-page document, which was published without fanfare, can be read in its entirety here. Reading about 2020 air quality in 2022 might seem dated or obsolete but this report is worth che

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

Hearing Officer Issues Split Decision on Coke Oven Dispute Between the Allegheny County Health Depar

Jan 10, 2022

Hearing Officer Issues Split Decision on Coke Oven Dispute Between the Allegheny County Health Depar

Remember back in September when famously litigious U.S. Steel asked an Allegheny County Health Department hearing officer to put the kibosh on long-sought updates to local coke oven regulations expected to help better protect public health? U.S. Steel already took a bow, telling the Pittsburgh Business Times in an “exclusive” story Friday that it had won the case. But GASP staff took a look at the Dec. 6 ruling and think it’s a draw at best. But we’re getting ahead of ourselv

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

UPDATED: Today Will Mark 54th H2S Exceedance of 2021 at Liberty Monitor; Abysmal Air Quality Returns

Dec 21, 2021

UPDATED: Today Will Mark 54th H2S Exceedance of 2021 at Liberty Monitor; Abysmal Air Quality Returns

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 10:35 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, to include information on an exceedance that occurred at North Baddock Tuesday. The associated chart was also updated. By 7 a.m. Tuesday, social media and SmellPGH users were sounding the alarm about it being another stinky morning in and around the ‘Burgh. As complaints rolled in about the overwhelming odor and physical impacts they caused, AirNow.Gov showed AQI NowCast values at Allegheny County He

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

Weekend Sees Yet Another H2S Exceedance for Mon Valley

Nov 22, 2021

Weekend Sees Yet Another H2S Exceedance for Mon Valley

Concentrations of the air pollutant known by its rotten-egg odor were high enough to exceed Pennsylvania’s 24-hour average of 0.005 ppm, ending the day at 0.008 ppm. This marks the 46th day of 2021 when H2S exceeded that standard at the Liberty monitor. There were 17 other such exceedances at ACHD’s air quality monitor in North Braddock Borough. “The Mon Valley remains on pace to hit at least 50 H2S exceedances by the end of the year. For those who might not know, that would

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

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning as PM2.5 Concentrations Spike

Nov 7, 2021

Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Issues Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning as PM2.5 Concentrations Spike

Photo by GASP Board Member Roger Day Editor’s Note: This blog was updated at 4:20 p.m. Nov. 7 to include additional information from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Sunday morning issued a Mon Valley Air Pollution Warning, with preliminary data showing levels of fine particulate matter exceeded federal health-based air quality standards at its Liberty monitor. According to airnow.gov, the NowCast Air Quality Index (A

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