CLAIRTON, Pa. — The Allegheny County Health Department says it’s been notified by U.S. Steel of a pollution control equipment breakdown at Clairton Coke Works.
A breakdown is when equipment isn’t working properly, and more pollution gets released than normal, the ACHD said in a release Thursday afternoon.
The breakdown’s cause is under investigation, with U.S. Steel required to submit a report within seven days. ACHD says there is no indication of a long-term health emergency right now, though it will continue to monitor air quality.
According to the ACHD, Control Room 2 went offline around 8:05 p.m. Tuesday due to a breakdown. This caused Control Rooms 2 and 5 to not process coke oven gas, which was then combusted at the facility.
The outage lasted until Wednesday around 8:20 p.m., and the equipment is now back online.
ACHD’s monitor site detected elevated readings of Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on Wednesday morning. The highest readings were from 6-9 a.m. during certain atmospheric conditions that can trap pollutants, ACHD says.
The elevated readings did not exceed any 1-hour or 24-hour air quality standards, ACHD says.
H2S is a colorless gas that smells of rotten eggs, the ACHD says. Short-term exposure to H2S at concentration levels over 2 parts per million can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, eye or throat irritation and respiratory discomfort, especially for sensitive groups.
The highest hourly concentration of H2S recorded from the breakdown was 0.019 parts per million, the ACHD says.
Nearby residents who have prolonged and intense symptoms are urged to seek medical care.
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