DEQ samples near Cherokee Forest test clean, but video shows otherwise

The air in the Cherokee Forest neighborhood appears to be clean and healthy, according to the latest results of sampling by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. But one resident said he and his neighbor have evidence of one pollutant the agency didn’t test for.

The MDEQ shared the test results with concerned residents at a public meeting Thursday evening at the Pascagoula Senior Center. The agency had collected air samples in different locations in the neighborhood over several weeks in late 2016 to evaluate whether hazardous air pollutants are present at levels harmful to humans.

“All the samples revealed HAPs concentrations well below any applicable health-based exposure threshold,” MDEQ’s air quality report said.

The agency conducted the sampling in response to concerns of some residents over exposure to industrial pollutants from nearby plants such as the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, VT Halter Marine shipbuilders, Signal International shipyard, Gulf LNG Energy and Mississippi Phosphates. The residents had organized under the Steps Coalition when problems began cropping up in 2014.

Though the MDEQ’s sampling showed clean results, the agency pointed out some limitations of its tests, saying short-term sampling provides only an initial screening of air quality.

“In general, it is not conventional to compare short-term measured results with long-term air concentration values,” the report said. “It should be noted that the results from this screening approach cannot be used to provide a complete understanding of risk attributable to air toxics in the community.”

Cherokee resident Dane Crenshaw said his property is constantly covered in residue from the sandblasters being used at nearby VT Halter Marine. He told officials he and one of his neighbors took photos and video of sandblasting dust being spread through the air.

Crenshaw has filed two complaints with MDEQ as a result of the sandblasting residue. Agency officials who were at Thursday’s meeting confirmed they were investigating the nature of his complaints.

VT Halter Marine has come under fire for the same reason in the past. About a year ago, MDEQ fined the company $17,500 for failing to protect surrounding environments from paint overspray and sandblasting dust. MDEQ ordered the firm to build a new building, but it has not been done yet.

Crenshaw said he constantly argues with workers who continue to sandblast when the wind is blowing in the direction of his property, despite the presence of a wind vane that is easily visible to the workers, he said.

Fine particulate matter, such as that which would come from a sandblaster, was not sampled by MDEQ. The agency noted it didn’t conduct monitoring for fine particulate matter because it is already part of a regular citywide monitoring program.

The MDEQ’s screening method for Cherokee Forest was limited to certain air pollutants evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Some of the facilities and operations in the area release pollutants not captured by this method such as sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and fine particulate matter, but these pollutants are regulated as part of the Clean Air Act and facilities must meet specific emission limits to minimize their release,” the report said.

The MDEQ’s screening method included three 24-hour collection containers placed in different locations for several weeks and two response-type samples in which the agency collects air samples when responding to a report of an abnormal condition in a specific location of the neighborhood. The response samples are pending.

“The first response sample has been taken, but we’re waiting on the results from the lab,” MDEQ’s Melissa Fortenberry said.

Howard Page of the Steps Coalition said he is pleased so far with the MDEQ’s response to the community’s complaints. Addressing agency officials Thursday, however, Page did list a few recommendations for future sampling such as using the monitoring standards adopted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Centers.

The ATSDR is a federal public-health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It works alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Environmental Health.

Page also asked the MDEQ to conduct additional testing.

“It’s a good start,” he said. “Three tests is good, but we would like to see more ... we appreciate all the effort that went into this.”

The agency’s report said no further air-sampling efforts, aside from the two pending response samples, should be necessary, and MDEQ officials at the meeting said no further testing has been planned for the neighborhood.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 11:14 AM with the headline "DEQ samples near Cherokee Forest test clean, but video shows otherwise."