NBC10
Two air samples taken by the Philadelphia Health Department later Friday morning found that none of 61 chemical compounds tested were at unsafe levels, an official with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management said.
By Staff
AP
The Department of Public Health says air sample testing at the 150-year-old refinery and surrounding community has found “no ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (combustibles), or hydrogen sulfides.”
https://abc11.com/philadelphia-refinery-fire-continues-neighbors-react-to-explosions/5356529/
By Staff
CNBC
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health said that there is no danger in the surrounding community. It’s preliminary testing showed no signs of ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (combustibles), or hydrogen sulfides in the air samples.
By Maggie Fitzgerald
CNN
The city’s Department of Public Health Air Management Services Lab “is testing samples taken from up- and downwind of the refinery fire,” according to James Garrow, spokesman for the department.
The department will continue working with Philadelphia Energy Solutions to monitor air quality, Garrow said, before adding that he was “not aware of any immediate danger from the fire.”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/21/us/philadelphia-refinery-fire/index.html
By Jason Hanna, Madeline Holcomb, and Joe Sutton
Inquirer
“Preliminary testing both at the site of the refinery and in the adjacent community has shown no ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbobutanens (combustibles), or hydrogen sulfide,” James Garrow, spokesperson for the health department, said in a statement.
By Frank Kummer
PhillyVoice
The Health Department does not have any findings indicating any danger at this time, spokesman James Garrow said in an email. Preliminary testing – both at the refinery and in the adjacent community – did not reveal any ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons or hydrogen sulfide.
By John Kopp
Vice
Philadelphia’s Public Health Department said in a tweet that the city’s Air Management Services took samples at the refinery and in the immediate community “found no ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (combustibles), or hydrogen sulfides”—all toxic chemicals that are commonly found in oil refinery facilities.
By Caroline Haskins
WHYY
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health said in a statement that preliminary air sampling at the refinery and adjacent sites has shown no ambient carbon monoxide, combustible hydrocarbons or hydrogen sulfide.
By Staff
GridPhilly
“The Health Department has no findings that would point to any immediate danger in the surrounding community at this time, and the City is NOT recommending evacuation or shelter-in-place,” says Health Department spokesman James Garrow in the City’s press release.
By Alex Mulcahy
KYW
“The Health Department maintains a working relationship with PES. We maintain an air monitor close to the refinery that operates 24/7, receive notifications of exceedances of emission limits from them, and can and do issues notices of violations for exceedances. They are required to submit plans and models for their plants to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local air pollution regulations. With regard to today’s fire, the Health Department had inspectors on-scene as soon as possible taking samples and testing the air for immediate health hazards. The samples are currently being tested, and monitoring will continue.”
By Pat Loeb
CBS3
“Based on the result of samples taken this morning, the health department has no findings that would suggest there is a threat to the public health as a result of today’s fire,” department director with the Office of Emergency Management Noel Feleza said.
By Alexandria Hoff
Inquirer 2
City health spokesman James Garrow said the city took air quality samples both up- and downwind of the refinery. The samples were taken to the city’s Air Management Service Laboratory and were tested for 61 different chemical compounds, none of which were found to be at “or even near” harmful levels.
By Joseph Gambardello, Andrew Maykuth and Patricia Madej
NBC10 2 (6-23-19)
The Philadelphia Fire Department’s hazmat unit and the Department of Public Health will continue to test the air for any hazards.
So far, they have not found anything unsafe, officials said.
By Staff
KYW 2 (6-23-19)
“Preliminary testing both at the site of the refinery and in the adjacent community has shown no ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons (combustibles), or hydrogen sulfide,” James Garrow, spokesman for city’s Department of Public Health Air Management Services Lab said Friday.
By Kevin Wright and Pat Loeb
US News and World Report
City health officials said in the afternoon that there were no findings suggesting any dangers to the surrounding community, said Philadelphia Department of Public Health spokesman James Garrow in a statement. He said no HF was detected during monitoring outside of the refinery as well.
By Jarrett Renshaw
6ABC
Four hours after the explosions, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health tweeted, “No findings that would point to any immediate danger in the surrounding community.”
https://6abc.com/health/pollution-from-refinery-fire-could-irritate-asthma-copd-sufferers/5357361/
By Staff
Grist
According to city officials, Friday’s explosion has not worsened the air quality in or around the plant. James Garrow, the director for communications for Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health, said officials went to the refinery early Friday morning to collect up- and downwind samples and conduct airtime monitoring around the area. Garrow said they didn’t find any elevated levels of carbon monoxide and other combustibles in nearby communities. “Our readings told us that there was no threat to human health,” Garrow told Grist.
By Rachel Ramirez
Inquirer 3 (6-23-2019)
owever, Air Management Services, which also issues violations for air pollutants, has repeatedly flagged the refinery for its emissions in the recent past. It found the refinery had “High Priority Violations” of the Clean Air Act in nine of the last 12 quarters.
Garrow said High Priority Violations of the Clean Air Act “are those which warrant additional scrutiny to ensure local state and federal agencies respond in an appropriate manner.”
https://www.inquirer.com/science/climate/philadelphia-refinery-fire-pollution-history-20190624.html
By Frank Kummer
PhillyVoice 2 (6-23-2019)
The Philadelphia Department of Health tested the air quality on Friday. The department collected samples from up-wind and down-wind of the refinery and tested the air samples for 61 chemicals. According to the department, there were no compounds found to be “above, or even near, the levels set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists as safe for workers who are exposed every day for a lifetime.”
https://www.phillyvoice.com/refinery-fire-extinguished-philadelphia-energy-solutions/
By Virginia Streva
Philly Tribune
Health Department tests done Friday found no hazards in the air, city officials said.
By Jake Blumgart
NYTimes
The Philadelphia Health Department said that officials took air samples after the explosion on Friday and that preliminary tests had found no ambient carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons or hydrogen sulfides.
Other samples were being tested. The department said it had “no findings that would point to any immediate danger in the surrounding community at this time.”
By Sarah Mervosh
Curbed Philly
Philly’s Department of Public Health took samples of the air with hand monitors outside the plant and through the neighborhood, looking for hydrocarbons, combustibles, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide. All tests came back negative, said the health department’s communications director James Garrow.
https://philly.curbed.com/2019/6/26/18759820/pes-refinery-shutdown-fire-land-remediation
By Anna Merriman
The Collected Works of Jim Garrow 