Trending...
- From Temecula Wine Country to Canyon Lake: Parkway Construction Transforms Outdoor Spaces for Inland Homeowners
- Bspin Launches Lightning-Fast Crypto Gaming Expansion With Sportsbook, Poker, VIP Rewards, and Bitcoin Lightning Network Integration
- Parksy (parksy.com) Tackles the Most Common Parking Problem Nobody Talks About: Finding the Car Again
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
- KayeDinero Puts Asheville's River In Sound With Single "French Broad," Now Available for Preorder
- RAS AP Consulting Signals Growth of Managed AP Governance With Digital Expansion, Pipeline Activation, and Trademark Filing Ahead of Esker All Access
- Vegan Kingz Unveils Upgraded Digital Platform to Streamline Commercial Foodservice & Wholesale Ordering
- Steve Thompson Launches StickyHealth to Tackle the Retention Gap in the Growing GLP 1 Market
- Qscription Technologies Appoints Dr. Kimberly Beavers as Founding Clinical Advisor
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
- When Hope Feels Gone, Death2life Is Still Here!
- Sebastian Stroeller Publishes "The MAP Language Canon" — The Complete Practitioner's Guide to Structural Conversation
- OneVizion Appoints Zebra Technologies CIO Matt Ausman to Board of Directors
- GLADYS Magazine Celebrates their 18 Year Anniversary!
- New Townhome Building Released at Heritage at South Brunswick, Offering Private Perimeter Setting and Water Views
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
- 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
- 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
- Tryon Prepares for a Special Night of Music and Launch of Nina Simone and Samuel Waymon Scholarship
- Gigasoft 2026 JavaScript Chart Comparison: ProEssentials, Highcharts, SciChart, LightningChart, ECharts
- Experienced eXp Realty Agent Kerri Lawless Guides Buyers and Sellers Through Life's Next Chapters in St. Tammany Parish
- Supreme Garage Door Repair Redirects Marketing Dollars Into North Texas Communities
- RAS AP Consulting Spotlights Managed AP Governance™ at Esker All Access
- ANSI BSR Upholds Appeal of AFDE Member Andrew Sulner, MSFS, JD, finding the AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB) Violated ANSI Essential Requirements
- Kentucky's Plane Crash Data Lands Far from the State's Busiest Airports
- StockResearch AI Initiates Coverage on Apple (AAPL) With New Report Examining Valuation, AI Strategy and Future Growth
- Netberg Announces the Aurora X2 Switch Series, Built on Xsight Labs' Programmable X2 Silicon
- Pete Verbica: America Needs Statesmanship and Common Sense — Not a Cult of Personality