St. Bernard Parish Enhanced Ambient Monitoring Program
BACKGROUND
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has received numerous complaints regarding air quality in
the area of Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
The DEQ and Chalmette Refining, L.L.C. agreed that additional
ambient air monitoring data would be useful for evaluating ambient air quality
in the Chalmette area, and for identifying potential sources of emissions of
air pollutants in the area.
As a result of negotiations an Administrative Order on Consent was adopted on 5/25/2005
between the Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality and Chalmette Refining, L.L.C.
As part of this order Chalmette Refining agreed to implement the
“St. Bernard Parish Enhanced Ambient Monitoring Program”, including the
purchase and installation of ambient air monitoring equipment, on or before
December 31, 2005.
As a result of Hurricane Katrina the project was delayed until April 2006.
Chalmette Refining has leased the property
necessary for the siting of three monitoring stations including air monitoring
equipment and ancillary equipment and structures. Each lease has a term of at
least two years, with the option to renew for an additional two years.
PURPOSE
The primary purpose of the DEQ Chalmette
monitoring project is to make a legally defensible and scientifically sound
determination if the Chalmette area monitor is in compliance with State and
Federal air quality standards.
The
methodology DEQ will use for this project is a proven methodology being used
nationwide for the determination of criteria and toxics air pollutants.
The resulting monitoring data will have a
very high standard of quality assurance and validity as set forth in the DEQ
Quality Assurance Project Plan for air quality monitoring.
All raw data from the sites
are collected on 5 minute, 10 minute and 1 hour intervals, but the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and the Louisiana Ambient Air Standards (LAAS)
are set at longer averaging times specific to each parameter monitored.
The longer averaging times are more
representative of the typical exposure time and general health effects.
It is important to note that short-term
fluctuation is natural; as long as the values in the specified averaging time as
in the NAAQS or LAAS are below the standards, the health effects are considered
minimal.
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Parameter
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Algiers Entergy
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Chalmette High School
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Chalmette Vista
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Ozone
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SO2
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PM2.5
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H2S
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TNMOC
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Methane
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VOC Strike Sampler
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Wind Direction
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Wind Speed
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The data contained on this website provides a
real-time snapshot of the monitored parameters and the data has not been
through Quality Assurance/Quality Control and validation processes.
OZONE (O3)
Ozone is one of six criteria air pollutants identified by
the Clean Air Act. It results from a
photochemical reaction of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the presence of
sunlight. The components of ozone
typically come from utilities, refineries, biogenic, and mobile sources. Ozone formation is at its peak on hot days
with little wind, therefore the months of May through September are typically
considered “ozone season.”
Ozone can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory
system and typically affects children and senior citizens.
The National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone
is 85 parts per billion (ppb) over a rolling eight-hour average.
SULFUR
DIOXIDE (SO2)
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is
a colorless, reactive gas that is odorless at low concentrations, but pungent
at very high concentrations. It is emitted primarily when fossil fuels and ores
that contain sulfur are burned or processed. Major sources of SO2 are fossil fuel-burning power plants and industrial
boilers. Power plants using coal as fuel are some of the biggest emitters of SO2 in Louisiana.
Sulfur dioxide can potentially increase the risk of adverse
symptoms in asthmatic patients and can be an irritant to the respiratory
system. It is harmful to plant life and
can dissolve stone as well as corrode iron and steel.
The National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Sulfur
Oxides is a maximum average of 140 ppb over a 24 hour period. The annual mean standard is set at 30 parts
per billion (ppb).
PARTICULATE
MATTER 2.5 (PM2.5)
Particulate matter is anything
that is suspended in the air. It can be caused by natural phenomena or come
from man-made sources. Fine particulates (PM2.5) are
respirable particles less than or equal to 2.5 µg in size and are generally emitted
from activities such as industrial and residential combustion and from vehicle
exhaust. Fine particles are also formed in the atmosphere when gases such as
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, emitted by
combustion activities, are transformed by chemical reactions in the air.
The observed human health effects of PM2.5 include breathing and respiratory
distress, aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease,
alterations in the body's defense system against inhaled materials and organisms,
and damage to lung tissue. Groups that appear to be most sensitive to the
effects of PM include individuals with chronic lung or cardiovascular disease,
individuals with influenza, asthmatics, elderly people, and children.
The National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for PM2.5 is set at an annual mean of 15.0
µg/m³, and the 24 hour average standard is 65 µg/m³.
HYDROGEN
SULFIDE (H2S)
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
is a flammable, colorless gas with a characteristic odor of rotten eggs. Hydrogen
sulfide occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, volcanic gases, and
hot springs. It can also result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter and
is produced by human and animal wastes. Hydrogen sulfide can also result from industrial activities, such
as food processing, coke ovens, kraft paper mills, tanneries, and petroleum
refineries.
Exposure to low
concentrations of hydrogen sulfide may cause irritation to the eyes, nose, or
throat. It may also cause difficulty in breathing for some asthmatics. The Louisiana Ambient Air Standard for H2S is
set at 240 ppb over an eight-hour block average.
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs)
The
monitoring site is equipped with an air toxics sampler which utilizes the Summa
canister collection method. The sampler
operates for a 24 hour cycle once every six days. These samples are analyzed
for nearly 100 pollutants using the GC/MS based EPA method TO-15 and an
analysis for ozone causing precursors using the EPA PAMS methodology. The analytical results are compared to the
Louisiana Ambient Air Standards for the toxics pollutants. Any exceedance of these ambient air
standards will be investigated and corrective action taken in a timely fashion.
Because of public concern about
sudden releases of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) into the air, the site is
also equipped with a continuous methane/non-methane hydrocarbon analyzer and a
triggered canister sampler. The
continuous VOC monitor is connected to a data logger which recorded the data in
10 minute averages. When a 10 minute
average concentration exceeds the set trigger level, the data logger activates
a strike canister sampler which collects a 20 minute
sample in a special stainless steel air sampling canister. The canister collected is then sent to the
DEQ Air Lab for a detailed analysis of the type of organic VOC species present
in the sample. This information can
greatly assist the agency in determining the type of VOC sources impacting the
air monitoring site.
The data available on this web page
is only the Total Non-Methane Organic Compounds (TNMOCs). Canister analysis is not automated and the
results are not available on this site.
METEOROLOGICAL DATA:
All three sites are equipped with a
10 meter tower and wind gauge. This
instrument provides wind speed and wind direction at 5 minute, 10 minute and 1
hour intervals. It is important to note
that the wind direction is a measurement of which direction the wind is coming
from.