Odor from Limetree Bay refinery shuts U.S. Caribbean schools twice in a month By Syndicated Content
May 6, 2021 1:26 PM
(Reuters) – The Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix is releasing “light hydrocarbon odors” due to maintenance being conducted on its coker unit, which resulted in the dismissal of students from nearby schools on the island, the company and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education said on Thursday.
Three St. Croix schools in the U.S. Virgin Islands dismissed students from campuses on Thursday due to a noxious odor affecting air quality on campus, the department said.
The gassy odor has been present since Wednesday, according to residents on St. Croix. The nearby Limetree Bay refinery, had been the source of noxious odors last month that caused some residents to feel ill and also shut schools.
Reuters Reuters
7 May, 2021, 2:07 am
FILE PHOTO: Installations of the Limetree Bay petroleum refinery are seen in St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
(Reuters) – The owners of the troubled Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands have agreed to resume sulfur dioxide monitoring, days after the U.S. EPA notified the company that it was in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Reuters exclusively reported that the sulfur dioxide monitors near the refinery were not operating in March.
Recent incidents at the refinery released sulfur dioxide that prompted local school closures after students and staff reported feeling sick and forced some residents to shelter in their homes. Even short-term exposures to elevated levels of sulfur dioxide can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult, according to the EPA.
Limetree Bay refinery violated Clean Air Act: EPA
5/4/2021
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the owners of Limetree Bay refinery that they violated the Clean Air Act by failing to operate five sulfur dioxide air monitors near the plant in St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the agency said.
The EPA said the failure violated requirements set by Limetree Bay’s permit and other regulations.
Agency staffers arrived on the island to conduct an investigation of the recently-restarted refinery last week after a series of incidents caused a strong odor on the island and prompted residents to feel ill.
EPA to Investigate U.S. Virgin Islands Refinery Incidents
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to send experts and staff to a recently reopened U.S. Caribbean refinery as soon as this week to conduct an investigation, the agency said in a Tuesday statement after some residents said an odor coming from the refinery caused them to feel ill.
The Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix exceeded hydrogen sulfide levels late last week and Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Virgin Island’s Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR).
The “noxious” odor caused grammar schools and a technical education center to close in-person learning after students and staff reported feeling nauseous last week.
EPA to Send Investigators to Probe Distressing Incidents at the Limetree Refinery in the U S Virgin Islands insideclimatenews.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from insideclimatenews.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.