BREAKING: ACHD Partners with PA DEP, CMU to Increase Air Quality Monitoring in the Mon Valley in Wake of Explosion

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced Mobile Air Units provided by state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) will be stationed in the Mon Valley today and tomorrow.

Here's the press release issued Thursday afternoon:

This increased air quality monitoring is part of the ACHD Air Quality program's continued investigation of the incident at the Clairton Coke Works on Monday, August 11, 2025.  

The addition of the Mobile Air Units goes well beyond the normal and rigorous regulatory air quality monitoring that ACHD conducts. This monitoring is a joint effort between ACHD, PA DEP and CMU. Each of the Mobile Air Units will assess the possible presence and concentration of different types of pollutants such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), PM2.5, and sulfur dioxide.  

The exact location and time of the MAUs deployments will be based on the real time meteorological forecast developed by ACHD and PA DEP staff.  

County Executive Sara Innamorato said: "I want to thank Governor Shapiro for making the offer of additional mobile air quality monitors in the wake of Monday's explosion. We deeply appreciate the partnership between PA DEP, CMU, and our county health department so we can make the best public health decisions possible, informed by data and science."