Enough is Enough: 34 Hydrogen Sulfide Exceedances So Far This Year - We Need Action

Some abysmal news to share: As of this week, the Mon Valley has experienced 34 hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) exceedances so far in 2026. 

To put that into perspective, during this same period last year, we were looking at just 14. 

For the uninitiated: Hydrogen sulfide an air pollutant with an unmistakable rotten egg odor that all-too-often blankets the Mon Valley. 

While the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) tracks it, the health and quality-of-life impacts are more than just a nuisance. 

A quick look at CREATE Lab’s Smell Pittsburgh app shows residents are reporting:

• Respiratory issues: Especially for those with asthma.

• Neurological symptoms: Headaches, nausea, and "brain fog."

• Quality of life issues: Sleep interruption and the inability to let your kids play outside.

If you are now asking yourself, “But where does the stuff come from?” know that ACHD’s own study attributed H2S exceedances almost entirely to emissions from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Plant. 

Yet here we are in 2026, still waking up to air that violates Pennsylvania state standards.

ACHD has the data. They have the dashboard. But monitoring and understanding the pollutant’s origin are just the first steps - now we need action.

That’s why we are hoping you’ll join us at the upcoming Board of Health meeting to demand we move beyond monitoring and start mandating real change.

The only way to ensure our leaders feel that urgency is to show up - in person if possible - and tell our stories. 

We need to look the members in the eye and describe what it's like to live in the stench zone and ask them to do what they can to identify strategies to stem this issue.

GASP will be speaking out, and we hope you’ll join us.

• Date: This Wednesday, March 18, 2026

• Time: 12:30 p.m.

• Place: Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (1 N. Linden Street, Duquesne, PA 15110)

Please, if you have experienced headaches, sore throat, or had to keep your windows shut on a beautiful day, the board needs to hear it. 

Note: Residents who wish to address the board must register 24-hours in advance by clicking here. Please be aware that you can choose to comment in-person or via Zoom.