Chemical composition of Sunday’s gasoline plume unknown at this level
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A College of B.C. venture that gathers air high quality info from Metro Vancouver residents had its busiest day on document on Sunday following an industrial accident at Burnaby’s Parkland refinery.
In accordance with UBC mechanical engineering professor Naomi Zimmerman, there have been 169 studies made to the Odor Vancouver on-line platform between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Jan. 21.
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Zimmerman stated the studies had been all contained in a straight line west of the refinery, overlaying the Burnaby Heights, Grandview-Woodland, Downtown Eastside, Downtown, Kitsilano and Level Gray neighbourhoods. Metro Vancouver additionally obtained dozens of air high quality complaints, whereas Vancouver Fireplace and Rescue Providers and the Burnaby Fireplace Division dealt will a number of calls.
The wind was blowing at 15 km/h from the east at round 8 a.m. when a pipe throughout the refinery’s catalytic cracking unit grew to become blocked, resulting in the discharge of a heavy plume of smoke that went a whole lot of ft into the air earlier than travelling throughout the heavily-occupied neighbourhoods.
The Odor Vancouver platform permits folks to price how offensive a odor is from one to 5, describe the odour, describe bodily signs from the odour and state what actions had been taken to cope with it.
Zimmerman stated 149 of the 169 reporters described a chemical odor, whereas 60 studies rated the odor quantity 5, which is taken into account extraordinarily offensive.
A number of folks reported a cough, sore throat, headache and dizziness associated to the incident.
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Zimmerman stated that Odor Vancouver’s cell air high quality monitoring van was offline on the time of the accident as a result of common upkeep.
“This was extraordinarily dangerous timing, however we will certainly be analyzing the Odor Vancouver information within the weeks to come back to see what we will generalize from it,” Zimmerman stated.
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A March 2022 report by environmental marketing consultant WSP Golder cited earlier research that recognized the key contaminants produced by the tank farm and refinery to be sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and the carcinogenic risky natural compounds benzene and 1,3-butadiene.
“A key results of these research was the identification of three key contaminants of concern: sulphur dioxide, benzene and 1,3-butadiene,” the report states.
Zimmerman stated Odor Vancouver’s cell monitoring unit has the capability to measure the 2 carcinogens, however it’s not calibrated to do this.
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Metro Vancouver collects VOC samples (benzene and 1,3-butadiene) from measuring stations close to the refinery each six days and sends them to Setting and Local weather Change Canada’s laboratory in Ottawa for evaluation. The final pattern was collected on Jan. 19 and the following one is due on Jan. 25.
A Metro Vancouver spokesperson stated that short-term elevated hydrocarbon concentrations (which may have included benzene and 1,3-butadiene) had been famous at a measuring station adjoining to the Burnaby refinery between 7 a.m. and eight a.m. on Jan. 21.
In accordance with a Metro Vancouver allow held by Parkland, the refinery and tank farm are allowed to launch a restricted quantity air contaminants, together with particulate.
The allow additionally limits how a lot benzene and 1,3-butadiene is launched annually throughout routine operation.
On Monday, Metro Vancouver said the air high quality targets for SO2 and NO2 and particulate matter in its air high quality settlement with the Parkland refinery weren’t exceeded through the incident.
Parkland refinery director of technical providers Kevin Farrow stated on Wednesday that the precise chemical composition of Sunday’s plume was not but identified.
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“We’re gathering extra information however we don’t have that information as of now,” he stated.
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