Trending...
- Psychiatric Hospitals Fail to Warn Electroshock Patients of FDA-Cited Risks in Estimated $7 Billion Industry
- George Martinez Launches Community Re-distribution Initiative With Donation to the Gamma Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc
- DuoKey Launches Quantum Risk Score to Help Enterprises Prioritise Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League released a report which shows that hazardous air quality during the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire was downplayed.
The report Winston-Salem Weaver Fertilizer Plant Fire - Analysis of Publicly Disseminated Air Quality Information During Facility Fire Incident highlights instances when local officials told the public that the air quality was okay and pollutants were just "irritants" when, in fact, levels of Particulate Matter 2.5 were in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous and very unhealthy categories.
It has been six months since the Weaver fertilizer plant fire which began on the evening of January 31. BREDL has recently received EPA air quality data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which show that hazardous air quality conditions were downplayed during this industrial incident. We are still waiting for information from a March 22, 2022 open records request with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
More on ncarol.com
The report compares official statements to the then current air quality data, specifically PM 2.5. This air quality data was available to the fire command center in real time but was not available to the general public.
Once EPA set up temporary air monitors around the perimeter of the fire, 29 hours into the incident, the PM 2.5 readings were well into the hazardous category. These air monitors became operational around midnight on Wednesday, February 2.
Five hours later during a press conference officials stated that "all levels have been in the acceptable range". While, in fact, PM 2.5 concentrations were as high as 9200 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) at the temporary air monitor located at the Wake Forest University police station. EPA community action hazardous conditions start at a concentration of 500 ug/m3.
Mark Barker, author of the BREDL Report, said, "On the afternoon of February 2 a Wake Forest University alert stated that the EPA indicated air quality readings on and near campus posed no threat to individual health and was safe to breathe. However, the on campus EPA air quality data indicated hazardous and very unhealthy PM 2.5 levels."
More on ncarol.com
PM 2.5 has long been associated with significant health effects especially impacting respiratory and heart conditions.
The community within a one-mile radius of the Weaver facility has a high prevalence of asthma and heart disease according to EPA's EJScreen tool.
Barker said, "Our analysis leads us to make several recommendations for local, state and federal officials during industrial incidents: be transparent in reporting air quality and associated health impacts, make air quality data available to the public, include an air quality expert in incident press briefings and statements, utilize EJScreen to identify vulnerable communities, and incorporate temporary air monitors into existing EPA current air quality maps."
The BREDL report is available online at www.bredl.org/reports.htm.
Contact: Mark Barker
(540) 342-5580 (landline)
(540) 525-5241 (mobile)
[email protected]
SOURCE Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Inc
The report Winston-Salem Weaver Fertilizer Plant Fire - Analysis of Publicly Disseminated Air Quality Information During Facility Fire Incident highlights instances when local officials told the public that the air quality was okay and pollutants were just "irritants" when, in fact, levels of Particulate Matter 2.5 were in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous and very unhealthy categories.
It has been six months since the Weaver fertilizer plant fire which began on the evening of January 31. BREDL has recently received EPA air quality data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which show that hazardous air quality conditions were downplayed during this industrial incident. We are still waiting for information from a March 22, 2022 open records request with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
More on ncarol.com
- Mister Omaha Tries The Turf At Lone Star Park
- Andrew D. Levine Releases The Lily Network, an Indian Noir Mystery of Power, Paperwork & Murder
- The Mapping Software Behind America's Viral Maps Just Got Faster and Smarter
- Longevityresearch.ca publishes cross-disease causal analysis quantifying endpoint reduction across 27 diseases
- LEAN Culture Advisor Launches to Help Organizations Build High‑Performance, LEAN Workplace
The report compares official statements to the then current air quality data, specifically PM 2.5. This air quality data was available to the fire command center in real time but was not available to the general public.
Once EPA set up temporary air monitors around the perimeter of the fire, 29 hours into the incident, the PM 2.5 readings were well into the hazardous category. These air monitors became operational around midnight on Wednesday, February 2.
Five hours later during a press conference officials stated that "all levels have been in the acceptable range". While, in fact, PM 2.5 concentrations were as high as 9200 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) at the temporary air monitor located at the Wake Forest University police station. EPA community action hazardous conditions start at a concentration of 500 ug/m3.
Mark Barker, author of the BREDL Report, said, "On the afternoon of February 2 a Wake Forest University alert stated that the EPA indicated air quality readings on and near campus posed no threat to individual health and was safe to breathe. However, the on campus EPA air quality data indicated hazardous and very unhealthy PM 2.5 levels."
More on ncarol.com
- Joulescope JS320 Launches to Help Engineers Develop Battery-Powered Devices with Greater Confidence
- Ghanaian Afrobeat Artist Praise Kusi Announces Upcoming EP "After 21:00" Releasing July 3, 2026
- TURRENTINE: A Family Legacy United Through Music
- Save 10 Percent Off Summer Stays at KeysCaribbean Resorts
- Apple Rock Named to Event Marketer's 2026 Fab 50 for Fourth Consecutive Year
PM 2.5 has long been associated with significant health effects especially impacting respiratory and heart conditions.
The community within a one-mile radius of the Weaver facility has a high prevalence of asthma and heart disease according to EPA's EJScreen tool.
Barker said, "Our analysis leads us to make several recommendations for local, state and federal officials during industrial incidents: be transparent in reporting air quality and associated health impacts, make air quality data available to the public, include an air quality expert in incident press briefings and statements, utilize EJScreen to identify vulnerable communities, and incorporate temporary air monitors into existing EPA current air quality maps."
The BREDL report is available online at www.bredl.org/reports.htm.
Contact: Mark Barker
(540) 342-5580 (landline)
(540) 525-5241 (mobile)
[email protected]
SOURCE Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Inc
Filed Under: Business
0 Comments
Latest on ncarol.com
- Finland Sets Casino Gambling Risk Limits at 2% of Income, 4 Days, 2 Game Types
- The Prolific Writer, Producer "Hunter" Is Bringing New Music For Summer Release
- Millennial Maven Creative Foundation Assists In Bringing Juneteenth to the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival with an Authentically Dallas Lineup
- An Interpretation of Embracing Tranquility
- Two Florida Family Law Firms Named Among the State's Best Divorce Practices for 2026
- Tacoma Arts Live And Accelerating Creative Enterprise Present Ace Showace
- George Martinez Launches Community Re-distribution Initiative With Donation to the Gamma Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc
- SITE Technologies Releases Industry Research Report Exposing the CapEx Intelligence Gap in Commercial Real Estate
- A Business Novel About Ambition, Ethics, and the Hidden Realities of International Business
- New from Regal House Publishing, The Other Beautiful People, a work love story
- LinkedIn Lead Gen That Works Better from Blue-Chimp.com
- Century Fasteners Corp. Exhibiting at 2026 Farnborough International Airshow
- Compton to host first Juneteenth celebration with We Are Us Festival
- TOLI AdVantage Anti-Viral Flooring Supports Healthier, Safer Commercial Spaces
- DuoKey Launches Quantum Risk Score to Help Enterprises Prioritise Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration
- Top 5 Most Reliable Used Vans in the UK in 2026
- Dominican Fashion Designer Raiza Bonaparte presents the Sovereign Despampanante Collection at the Library of Congress
- What Happens When Congress Says No? New Book Examines the Boland Amendments, Iran-Contra Affair & Jamaican Posse, as US Congress Debate Over Military
- Alvear Homes Shares Insights on Building Stronger Neighborhood Connections Across NC & SC
- Warm, Dry Summer Forecast Points to a Stronger Wasp and Yellowjacket Season Across the Pacific Northwest