Both the Chalmette Vista and the Chalmette-Meraux areas of St Bernard Parish were subjected to toxic air emissions with in the last several days.
Valero Energy's Meraux refinery experienced a days-long flaring event that at times emitted dark clouds and high flames. LDEQ's network of air monitors does not include a NAAQS comparable source classified air monitor in that area; given wind conditions and lack of appropriate monitoring, it is uncertain at this time if this incident caused an exceedance of air quality standards. There was no alert made to the community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdgg39tXdxI
A few days later, heavy industrial sources further west in the Chalmette Vista area emitted toxic air emissions as measured at the LDEQ Chalmette Vista monitor as high levels of sulfur dioxide and an exceedance of air quality standards for the same. On April 14 2024, the Chalmette Vista air monitoring station measured sulfur dioxide one hour readings above the NAAQS standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb). The data from the monitoring station indicates the one hour average spiked above 77 ppb and the 5-minute interval levels of sulfur dioxide were as high as 119 ppb.
https://airquality.deq.louisiana.gov/Data/Site/CHALMETTEVISTA/Date/2024-04-14
https://internet.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/DIVISIONS/AIR-MONITORING/AIR-MONITORING-DATA-WITH-INTERVAL-5-OR-10-MINUTES (select Chalmette Vista site and date range 04 14 2024 to 04 14 2024)
According to research reporting at ProPublica, Chalmette Louisiana residents in the neighborhoods near the PBF Energy Chalmette refinery and the Rain Carbon CII Chalmette calciner have "an estimated excess lifetime cancer risk from industrial sources of about 1 in 17,000." "Over the five years ProPublica analyzed, the excess risk here has ranged from as low as 1 in 28,000 to as high as 1 in 12,000. In 2018, the risk was 1 in 12,000."
Meanwhile, lung health is at critical risk. A study by the University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research ranks Chalmette Elementary School as low as the Third National Percentile for air quality, and nearby Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Pre-4 - 12th Grade Charter School for Science and Technology in Orleans Parish Lower 9th Ward in the 10th National Percentile for air quality.
Our children deserve better. Changes to the State SIPs would result in immediate and significant improvements in air quality, public health outcomes, and quality of life, especially for residents who reside on the other side of the fence from these polluting plants.
The Most Detailed Map of Cancer Causing Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S. by Al Shaw and Lylla Younes, additional reporting by Ava Kofman November 2 2021 Updated March 15 2022
https://projects.propublica.org/toxmap/
