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Clairton Coke Works Emitting Benzene Confirmed by 2021 - 2023 Monitoring Reports.VCAN's Path Forward includes Reinstalling Fenceline Monitors.

Writer's picture: Valley Clean Air NowValley Clean Air Now


Introduction

In the Fall of 2021, the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) approached residents throughout the Mon Valley. EIP was working with the Breathe Project and Carnegie Mellon University's Create Lab. EIP wanted to place an air monitor in their yards to detect how much, if any, benzene was present.


Two Valley Clean Air Now (VCAN) Board members were asked and agreed to participate. One member lived in Glassport and the other in Clairton.


EIP Monitoring Results

On December 14, 2022, EIP sent their initial monitoring results to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a letter. They also issued a Press Release:


"In a letter to EPA today, EIP urged EPA to order US Steel to monitor benzene concentrations at the perimeter of each of its three Monongahela Valley Plants,

and to take corrective action whenever their fenceline benzene levels exceed

certain thresholds already in place for refineries and some petrochemical plants.

The groups found unhealthy levels of benzene, a hazardous air pollutant that can

irritate the skin, eyes, and throat, and lead to additional health problems, at two

homes near the plants." Follow link below to read entire Press Release.




EIP and Create Lab continued to monitor Benzene emissions throughout the Mon Valley. On February 1, 2023 they wrote a second letter to the EPA:


"The most recent monitoring results continue to show that communities near the

U.S. Steel plants are exposed to unacceptably high levels of benzene. Benzene

causes a variety of serious health problems including anemia, nervous system

damage, suppression of immune systems, and leukemia... The two-week average benzene concentrations between November 22, 2022 and January 2, 2023

continue to show that benzene concentrations in the Mon Valley pose serious health risks for Mon Valley communities and plant workers." Follow link to Letter below:





Once again, EIP and Create Lab continued to monitor Benzene levels in the Mon Valley. On May 5, 2023, they wrote a third letter to EPA:


"This letter adds monitoring results for benzene at community monitors in

residential areas near U.S. Steel’s Clairton, Irvin, and Edgar Thomson Plants

during the two-week sampling periods between January 2, 2023 and April 10, 2023.


The recent monitoring results continue to show that communities near U.S. Steel’s

Mon Valley plants are exposed to dangerously high levels of benzene. Given the persistent benzene concentrations at these residential monitors, we reiterate our request from nearly five months ago that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) take immediate action to abate benzene emissions and other toxic air pollution in the Monongahela River (Mon) Valley communities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

near U.S. Steel’s Clairton, Irvin, and Edgar Thomson plants. To date, we have received no response from EPA about the significant and ongoing public health concerns identified in the December 14, 2022 letter." Follow Link to read entire Letter below.





Allegheny County Health Department and US EPA also collect Benzene Monitoring Results

At this point, EIP became aware that the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) and the US EPA had been conducting their own benzene monitoring programs in the Mon Valley. The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the ACHD seeking information about their benzene monitoring program and results. EIP received the monitoring information from GASP and published its findings in November, 2024.


"How do the Clairton Coke Works’ benzene emissions compare to other US facilities? Clairton Coke Works’ 30,801 pounds of benzene emissions in 2021 make the plant the 23rd largest emitter of benzene air emissions reported to the Toxics Release Inventory, meaning it emitted more benzene than most petroleum refineries that are currently required to monitor for benzene at their fencelines.


Exposure to benzene at the concentrations described above poses serious health risks for Mon Valley communities and plant workers. Benzene causes a variety of serious health problems, including anemia, nervous system damage, weakened immune system, and leukemia. One method that would help protect plant workers and the surrounding communities would be for U.S. Steel to install fenceline monitoring around their plants for benzene. By requiring fenceline monitoring, U.S. Steel would have to investigate the cause of these high levels of benzene and take steps to fix the problem, which would reduce overall benzene emissions....


As a part of creating this new requirement, EPA asked Clairton Coke Works to conduct six months of fenceline monitoring for benzene to better understand fugitive emissions from the plant. The methods used by US Steel for this rule were the same as EIP and ACHD have been using. After six months of monitoring, the average concentration measured at the fenceline was 33.3 μg/m3. This is ten times greater than both the proposed action level for benzene at coke oven facilities and California EPA’s long-term health threshold, both of which are 3 μg/m3. Read the entire EIP report below:





VCAN's Path Forward

On November 14, four VCAN Board members made presentations to new ACHD Director Julia Vann. One requested ACHD force Clairton Coke Works to reinstall fenceline monitors and then stop these Benzene emissions. In addition, law students from Pitt Law School's Environmental Law & Policy Clinic argued Dr. Vann is a public trustee with duties to provide clean air, pure water and a healthy environment to all Pennsylvanians. The 1971 Amendment to the PA Constitution added the Environmental Rights Amendment establishing these civil rights are held by all PA residents.


Dr. Vann had requested County Council increase fees charged to local businesses who are required to receive a permit to pollute our air .On December 17, however, the Allegheny County Council did not adopt her proposed fee increase. We see the Council's failure to increase these fees as choosing to protect business profits rather than protecting our right to breath air without the levels of benzene monitored by EIP, ACHD and the US EPA.


Leave a comment below. Contact your member of County Council and tell him/her your opinion. Tom Bailey VCAN Secretary 1/15/25


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