Trending...
- Bspin Launches Lightning-Fast Crypto Gaming Expansion With Sportsbook, Poker, VIP Rewards, and Bitcoin Lightning Network Integration
- From Temecula Wine Country to Canyon Lake: Parkway Construction Transforms Outdoor Spaces for Inland Homeowners
- Gigasoft 2026 JavaScript Chart Comparison: ProEssentials, Highcharts, SciChart, LightningChart, ECharts
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
- 3ptechies Partners with Coolmuster to Give Away Data Recovery Software Licenses
- INAD Warriors' 4th Annual "Dancing with the INAD Stars" Gala
- Charlotte Homebuyers Are Comparing More Than Houses as Regional Competition Expands
- DAZN Review 2026: Streaming Price Worth It?
- Dr. Pen Official Introduces Advanced Microneedling Technology for Precision Skincare at Home
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
- Bspin Launches Lightning-Fast Crypto Gaming Expansion With Sportsbook, Poker, VIP Rewards, and Bitcoin Lightning Network Integration
- New from Regal House, The King's Ghost, Imhotep and his cousin Anitepsut caught in a web of deceit
- From Temecula Wine Country to Canyon Lake: Parkway Construction Transforms Outdoor Spaces for Inland Homeowners
- Goldshine Management Consulting Announces Multifamily Management Challenges and Opportunities Survey
- New Study Finds Advisor-Owned Websites Lead ChatGPT's Financial Advisor Recommendations
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
0 Comments
Latest on ncarol.com
- Project CIVICA Report Finds 10,680 Non-Citizen Indicators on New York Voter Rolls — Including 88 Records with Recent Voting History
- New Analysis Details Three Converging Forces in AI and Workforce Policy Behind a $37 Billion GDP Reduction
- Revenue Optics Launches Pricing and Revenue Growth Management Practice, Names Shafohi Alamgir Vice President
- Popular AI planner Voiset launches version 2.0 and enters MENA at LEAP 2026 with full Arabic support
- CasaPerks and CredHub Partner to Help the Multifamily Industry Strengthen Resident Activation Through Credit-Building Rewards
- NaturismRE expands international research programme with Health & Wellbeing Survey
- L2 Aviation and Gotonomi Extend UAV Connectivity Beyond Cellular Reach
- Re:InvestorHub Launches the First AI-Powered Operating System Built for Real Estate Investors
- Nadi Plumbing Leads Charlotte in Private Fire Hydrant Services, Eyes Regional Expansion
- FindCostSeg Launches Nationwide Directory for Cost Segregation Providers
- Master Of Science, Juggernaut Of The Screen: Landon Brittain Emerges As Hollywood's Most Unlikely Leading Man
- Black Dog Venture Partners and VC Fast Pitch to Host "San Francisco Investors and Innovators" Networking Event
- New Book, The KI of Marketing, Helps Small Businesses Grow Without Trying to Outspend Bigger Competitors
- KayeDinero Expands Instrumental Catalog With New Music Released Through I Love Food Media
- Food Journal Magazine Focuses Its Los Angeles Dining Coverage Across Three Editorial Verticals
- Where Do Missouri Plane Crashes Really Happen? Not Where You'd Think
- LCC Asia Pacific Sponsors CubeSatPlus 2026 at UNSW Sydney
- The Sharon at SouthPark Breaks Ground on $178 Million Expansion
- Pattern Recognition In The Arts
- Real Estate Syndication Attorney Tilden Moschetti Releases The Real Estate Private Equity Blueprint