Since October 2014, US Steel Clairton has been fined $6.65 million for 39 enforcement actions.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
US Steel Coke plant is a major producer of Hydrogen sulfide Coke is used to produce iron and steel. Clairton’s 10 coke batteries contain 708 coke ovens and more than 6,300 potential emissions points. Each year, the facility produces about 4.3 million tons of coke.
What you can do if you smell a sulfur or rotten egg odor
1. Report it directly to the new Allegheny Health Department website
(You can create an account, or report anonymously)
2. Use the SmellPGH app (smellpgh.org) to report and track the odor
-You can also call the health department ACHD and report the odor. They prefer reports to their website.
View real time PM2.5 and hydrogen sulfide H₂S (rotten egg odor) levels
-Allegheny County PM2.5 and H₂S levels-
You can also see the hourly PM2.5 on the Allegheny County website here. You can also see the H₂S data on their website here.
-Purple Air PM2.5 levels-
You can view the PM2.5 air pollution in real time on the Purple air website. Link here. The Purple air network is comprised of small personally owned sensor units placed around the city that track Particulate Matter.
Note: Make sure to report it to the Health department & SmellPGH. The SmellPGH app is independent of the Health Department. So, it is important to submit complaints to both.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) has the “struck match” odor and Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is the “rotten egg” odor
Related articles
U.S. Steel has treated Pittsburgh’s skies as its dumping ground for decades
https://cleanair.org/residents-urge-u-s-steel-to-focus-on-cleanup/
PennFuture delivers Toxic Neighbor petition to U.S. Steel
https://pennfuture.org/Blog-Item-PennFuture-delivers-Toxic-Neighbor-petition-to-US-SteelPennFuture delivers Toxic Neighbor petition to U.S. Steel
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2022/03/07/us-steel-fined-1-8-million-for-rotten-egg-gas-pollution-near-pittsburgh/
https://triblive.com/opinion/zachary-barber-pollution-is-u-s-steels-gift-to-pittsburgh/
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2019/02/05/US-Steel-sulfur-dioxide-high-level-recorded-Clairton-Coke-Works-Mon-Valley-Pittsburgh/stories/201902050123