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LEAN Adviser Observes EPA's Mobile Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer |
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LEAN Adviser Observes Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Trace Atmospheric Gas
Analyzer (TAGA) Mobile Monitoring in St. Bernard Parish, May 27, 2010
by Wilma Subra
Technical Adviser to Louisiana Environmental Action Network
On
May 27, 2010, Louisiana Environmental Action Network was given the
opportunity to observe the mobile monitoring being performed by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with their Trace Atmospheric Gas
Analyzer (TAGA) monitoring unit in St. Bernard parish. The TAGA is a
Recreational Vehicle that has been repurposed as a mobile laboratory
and outfitted with an array of environmental monitoring equipment. The
TAGA was set up to monitor the air for the dispersants Corexit 9500 and
9527. Corexit 9500 and 9527 are being used in association with the
Deepwater Horizon disaster to disperse the crude oil slick in the Gulf
of Mexico and the crude oil as it leaks from the well head 5,000 feet
below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
EPA's TAGA vehicle
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The
EPA has been provided information on the chemical makeup of the
dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527, including the proprietary
information on the chemicals, by the manufacturer. EPA evaluated the
chemical components of each dispersant for the chemicals of highest
percentage, chemicals not known to be commonly present in the air, and
chemicals with the lowest detection levels when analyzed by the TAGA. A
single and separate chemical has been chosen by the EPA for each of the
dispersants and analyzed through air sampling by the TAGA. The
detection levels of the two chemicals are in the parts per trillion
range.
Paul says: in other
words, EPA pinpointed a single chemical that is specific to COREXIT
9500 and a single chemical that is specific to COREXIT 9527 and also
made sure that these two chemicals are not often found in the
environment from other sources. And then set up the TAGA to detect
these chemicals. SO, if either of these chemicals are detected then
there is a high likely hood that they are detecting them from one of
the dispersants.
The monitored chemical or chemicals are
similar to degreasing or cleaning agents and have been detected in the
air near marine repair and painting facilities and a few industrial
facilities. However, the chemicals have not been detected in the air
sampled on a sustained basis which would indicate that the air had been
impacted by the application of the dispersants.
The TAGA
monitoring unit, analyzing air for the dispersant chemicals, departed
from Chalmette at 10:30 AM on May 27, 2010 and traveled northwest to
Arabi along Judge Perez Drive.
Fixed Air Monitoring Station C005 at the fire station in Hopedale, St. Bernard Parish, LA
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The
monitoring unit stopping at the fixed air monitoring station C004, on
Aycock Street in Arabi, just adjacent to the Orleans parish line. The
fixed monitoring stations monitor for particulate matter (PM10), total
volatile organic chemicals, and speciated volatile organic chemicals
(through the use of a summa canister collecting air over a 24 hour
period). A summa canister sample is collected every 24 hours for
speciated volatile organic chemicals.
Following the
observation of the fixed monitoring station C004, the monitoring unit
traveled south through Chalmette on the St. Bernard Highway to
Poydras. The fixed monitoring station in Poydras, C002, is located at
the fire station. Fixed monitoring station C002 measures for the same
chemical constituents as monitoring station C004.
Departing
Poydras, the monitoring unit traveled southeastward along highways 46
and 624 to the Hopedale fixed monitoring station, C005, at Fire Station
11. Monitoring station C005 measures for the same chemicals as fixed
monitoring stations C002 and C004.
The monitoring unit then
continued on Highway 624 to the end of the road at Brenton Sound Marina
which is a staging area for the oil recovery operations. This is the
location where on the previous afternoon (May 26, 2010) a number of
sick workers were brought to shore suffering from nausea, dizziness,
headaches and chest pains. The workers were working on three vessels
engaged in oil recovery operations in the Brenton Sound area. The
workers were transported to a hospital in Morrero and the Unified
Command directed all 125 of the commercial vessels performing oil
recovery operations in the Brenton Sound area to return to shore.
The
monitoring unit then continued its monitoring by returning to Chalmette
via highways 624, 46 and 39. The monitoring unit completed the sampling
run in Chalmette at 1:15 PM. During the entire monitoring run, the
dispersants Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 test chemicals were not
detected in the air along the sampled route.
A request has been
made to the Environmental Protection Agency to participate in a TAGA
monitoring event monitoring for the volatile organic chemicals Benzene,
Toluene, Ethyl Benzene and Xylene.
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