VOC Study Report Shows Elevated Acrolein Levels
Tuesday, August 13, 2013 @ 2:35 PM
Prince George, B.C. – The study on volatile compounds in the Prince George neighbourhood known as the Millar Addition shows all but one of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)being tested for, fell below the short term ambient screening levels and objectives.
That one compound is Acrolein.
Five of the 12 one hour ambient air samples collected between March of 2011 and June of 2012, indicated levels of Acrolein that were higher than the “acute Reference Exposure Level” of 2.50 μg m-3, as defined by the California Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment. BC doesn’t have ambient air quality objectives or screening levels for VOCs monitored in this project.
The concentrations in the five samples ranged from 2.73-3.98 μg m-3.
Acrolein is yellow in its liquid form. “It is used in all kinds of applications” says PG Air Improvement Roundtable executive Director Terry Robert. “ It is used as an algaecide, herbicide, even slimicide in some cases, but really, its kind of associated with a number of emission components within the Prince George community. If anyone has ever cooked with cooking oil, they have produced acrolein, it’s a bi- product of diesel emissions, its also a bi-product of pulp and paper production, oil refining and wood burning, and all sorts of different activities that take place in the airshed. Cigarette smoking is one of the primary sources of acrolein, and a lot of literature out there is related to acrolein and exposure to cigarette smoke.”
But before anyone starts pointing fingers at the mills and refinery in town, Robert says it is important to note anyone living downwind from an intersection might also see high levels of acrolein in the air because of emissions from vehicles.
There is not a lot of information available on what acrolein does to ones health. Health Canada refers to a couple of studies that indicate lower weights in rats and hamsters when exposed to repeated high doses on a daily basis, but at this point, there is not a lot of medical information on the effects of acrolein exposure on humans, although it is considered a “tissue irritant”.
Robert says the other thing that is not known about the VOC’s is the mixing effect. “There is literally nothing known about what happens when these VOC’s mix in the airshed and that type of interaction.”
The report is considered “ a map” of the type of compounds in the particular neighbourhood of study and that should open the door for more research on the impacts the mixing of the VOC’s could have on an airshed. “It is an opportunity for Prince George to take leadership, nationally and internationally in that regard because globally it just isn’t known.”
Despite the reports findings, authors make it very clear, the acrolein results may not be accurate. “acrolein is a highly reactive compound which makes it difficult to accurately measure its concentration” says the report.
The two main recommendations of the report call for:
a) acrolein targeted sampling if requested by residents and
b) if samples continue to exceed OEHHA’s acute REL, a more systematic sampling strategy to be able to assess acrolein concentrations in the airshed over time
Robert says he is hoping to hear from residents on what they would like to see happen moving forward. “We really want to hear from the community on what they want to find out about the airshed in relation to acrolein. Keep in mind in this report, the amount that was picked up was considered relatively low from a population health component, however it is of concern, so we’re interested in finding more about these types of activities, so we certainly would welcome the opportunity to work with residents to expand this program to explore what role acrolein and other volatile organic compounds are having in the airshed. But it’s going to require some specific expertise, that we would have to work with UNBC and other academic institutions to bring here.”
What Robert cannot explain is why it has taken so long for the results of this report to be made public. The study was completed in June of 2012, and the report was supposed to be released in March of this year, but has only just made it to the public. “That is a question best put to the Ministry of the Environment but I know it takes time to collate the data and then have it reviewed for accuracy.”
Robert says he knows many members of the community have expressed concerned about the timing of the reports “We would certainly like to see a commitment from the provincial government on a 90 day turn around on getting reports out and so we are excited to work with them in that regard.”
Comments
“What Robert cannot explain is why it has taken so long for the results of this report to be made public. The study was completed in June of 2012, and the report was supposed to be released in March of this year, but has only just made it to the public”
Check the circumstances about the formaldehyde readings a few years ago. Exactly the same thing happened. There was no excuse at that time and I doubt there is any excuse this time.
Same old, same old no matter who is in charge.
We all know the mills are poisoning us… why bother testing for anything?
Because they need to justify their job
Cabbage dangerous to health!
The natural chemical makeup of cabbage will kill ya at high levels.
Acrolein is a poisonous volatile organic compound. There is good information about the health hazards of Acrolein,which can be found on the PACHA website, as well as the PACHA Facebook page.
The Citizens of the Miller Addition have endured for many years, deeply noxious odors. They usually happen at night, when there is minimal traffic on the roads and even less cooking!
Thus, although Acrolein although it might come from motor vehicle exhausts and cooking…….I really do not think this is very likely.
The Ministry of the Environment, in my opinion,needs to track down the major point source emitter of these high levels of Acrolein and to stop the air pollution of this beautiful, but vulnerable Neighborhood.
How many people still live in the Miller addition since before the mills? It’s like people who move near an airport then bitch about the noise.
Two of the worst emitters in PG are the oil refinery as the most noticeable, but I think the scariest is Stella Jones. Stella Jones bothers my nose from over a kilometer away and has got to be cancerous causing IMO.
I think Lower College Heights and especially the new neighborhoods across the river from the BCR Site have much more to worry about than the Miller addition.
The Hart is the only place in PG with truely clean air. Foothills would be next best IMO.
Southerly winds blow all the crud up to the Hart. You can run but you can’t hide!
It is unhelpful when residents of Prince George site the Millar Addition as being the only neighbourhood that suffers from air pollution. I have been all over this town and been unable to breathe. The MOE will not take our complaints seriously if only one area appears to suffers. The industrial waste odours in this town are regularly detected at the university, upper college heights, hart highway, heritage, downtown and everywhere in between.
It is more than time the the gov’t put the health of its tax payers ahead of the bottom line of industry.
The PACHA website has a pdf of the New Jersey Dept. of Health Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet which states that “The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.1 ppm, which should not be exceeded at any
time.”
When we collected the highest sample it was 3.98 ppm
Everybody wants to blame industry. What about all the people that wants to cook with cooking oil, in a confined space like a house. What about all the smokers.
We need to stop all cooking with oil, and make PG a smoke free and vehicle free zone and see if the levels go down, if it doesn’t than it must be industries fault.
Well, if you don’t like the crap in the city. Move, we are diggers of earth and hewers of wood. We are resource based community. If your that concerned with your personal health, I best suggest you leave, and leave the rest of us dimwits here to die, serving our country and the world with supplying our resources.
Mayor Green seems ok with the air pollution in PG as long as it doesn’t get worst than China’s. She actually made that comparative reference publically in her first year as Mayor.
This is yet another report that downplays polluted air in PG…..why even bother to share the report with the public if as the writer claims there is very little known about Acrolein…. and no pointing fingers is allowed because if we did that we might actually locate a main point source emitter……..no finger- pointing means no one can be held accountable! and there is already zero political will to do anything about air polution in PG…… Life goes on as usual ……
Deemay…. the New Jersey recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.1 ppm. Ours is 3.98 MICRIGRAMS/CUBIC METER which is equivalent to 0.00174 ppm so well below that.
The sources may well be local heavy industry, but they were established here long before any stringent environmental pollution regulations were enacted THUS the process of cleaning up effluents and emissions will continue for many more years. Said process has been going on for many years as well, the local mills have been upgrading scrubbers and introducing cleaner processes since the 80’s that I know of. The worst culprit is the refinery imo. Stella J. is bad too, that plant emits a nose burning eye stinging pungent odour that I notice everytime I drive by.
Can’t be healthy to work there, but they do make a good product!;)
metalman.
Just pulled up the MSDS sheet on Acrolein – nasty stuff alright. One of its uses is in paper production and there is also a report on the amount that PG Sawmill releases into the air. Interesting.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/donnees-data/index.cfm?do=substance_details&lang=en&opt_npri_id=0000007910&opt_report_year=2004&opt_cas_number=107-02-8#nature
Dihydrogen Monoxide can also be harmful.
The inconvenient truth is that turning off the pollution will directly affect the economy and jobs in this town.
We have industry pumping pollutants into the bowl (not just the Millar addition) and that won’t change any time soon.
No doubt seamutt – that stuff will kill you if inhaled, can cause severe burns and is a major component of acid rain. And yet its found in just about every house in the country. lol
“if you don’t like the crap in the city. Move”
Crap does not belong where humans concentrate. We have devised methods of removing crap because of that thinking.
Crap is generally not caused by nature. Crap is cause by humans. Only humans can do something about not causing their own crap to build up.
Animals typically do not crap where they nest. Humans are one of the few animals which do.
Cigs and marijuana are a high source of this chemical
PG Air Improvement Roundtable is a farce. and there is Mr Roberts flip flopping on the test results. This organization doesnât care about those that live in the bowl. Most of the work they do is to cover the butt of industry.
I worked for a couple of years in the BCR Industrial Site until I ended up in the hospital with a chest infection and Iâm a none smoker. The pollution was so thick some nights you could cut it with a knife
Cheers
Lots of chemicals in cigs and mary jane like acetone, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, nitric oxide, benzeprene…
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