Toxic gas in Louisiana air far exceeds safe levels, EPA estimates, US study finds
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/toxic-gas-louisiana-air-far-exceeds-safe-levels-epa-estimates-us-study-finds-2024-06-11/
Toxic gas in Louisiana air far exceeds safe levels, EPA estimates, US study finds
By Nancy Lapid
June 11, 2024 7:25 PM EDT Updated 2 hours ago
June 11 (Reuters) - The toxic gas ethylene oxide (EtO) is detectable in southeastern Louisiana at levels a thousand times higher than what is considered safe, according to a new study.
EtO emissions largely come from petrochemical manufacturing, and southeastern Louisiana has a high density of facilities that use or manufacture petrochemicals.
We expected to see ethylene oxide in this area, said study leader Peter DeCarlo of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. But we didnt expect the levels that we saw, and they certainly were much, much higher than levels estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA estimates were based on traditional EtO monitoring methods that involve collecting air samples and analyzing them in a lab, a method that is not precise, DeCarlo said.
[...]