On Christmas Eve, a fire burned for five hours at U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, doing significant damage to equipment that takes sulfur out of the coke oven gas. The cause of the fire has been preliminarily identified as "mechanical failure." The timeline for repair completion is unknown. Since the fire, sulfur dioxide levels in the area have repeatedly violated legal limits.

Exposure to sulfur dioxide can cause a number of respiratory problems, such as sore throat, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and more. It can also exacerbate existing respiratory illnesses like COPD or asthma. Those who are especially vulnerable include people who already have these ailments, children, and the elderly. Outdoor activity can increase a person's exposure and as a result, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) issued a warning for residents of over 20 communities in the Mon Valley to limit their outdoor activities. The risk of more sulfur dioxide spikes remains and the health advisory is still in effect.

The increases in sulfur dioxide in the air near the plant may have already caused health effects. Dr. Deborah Gentile is an asthma researcher. She has previously discovered that the childhood asthma rate in Allegheny County is almost 3x the state average. During a January 14 check on Clairton students with asthma, she found that over a third of the students participating in an asthma management clinic had significant drops in lung function. Read about her findings in Environmental Health News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

After facing sharp criticism concerning their efforts to communicate the dangers and risks to the public, ACHD has taken several steps to improve communication. Updates are now given at 3 p.m. on sulfur dioxide levels recorded at monitors near the plant. You can get updates from ACHD's Facebook page, a new county web page dedicated to this issue, or by signing up to receive information through the "Allegheny Alerts" system, where you can choose to receive alerts via a phone call, text, or email.

Please remember to call or email an odor complaint to ACHD. The complaint line is (412) 687-ACHD and the web page to email a complaint is found here. You can also use the Smell Pgh app to record complaints on your phone, and to see other people's complaints across the region.

GASP will continue to follow this issue and report to you. Thank you for staying informed and fighting for better air quality in our region!