Clairton-area air is not showing added levels of pollution Tuesday, officials said at a press conference the day after an explosion killed two U.S. Steel workers and spurred a stay-indoors advisory.
“So yesterday, after the explosion, we did watch the air quality monitors at Clairton-Liberty and North Braddock,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said at an afternoon press conference. “They fall within the national ambient air quality limits throughout the event yesterday and today. Further, hydrogen sulfide levels were also low and below the state’s nuisance threshold level.”
Innamorato noted the explosion is the subject of an active investigation.
Residents of the Mon Valley community who have long lived close to the Clairton Coke Works, though, weren’t breathing easy following the event that devastated batteries 13 and 14 and sent 10 people to the hospital.
“People are asking, are they exposed to do anything? What can they do?” said Qiyam Ansari, president of Valley Clean Air Now [VCAN] and a survivor of a lung collapse. He has been fielding calls since the explosion and still logged 300 missed calls and 150 text messages from concerned community members. “A lot of people were asking for air purifiers because they had to shut their windows and a lot of people don’t have air conditioners, so it’s really hot in there.”
“I’ve asked for full transparency from U.S. Steel,” Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters during a press conference in Clairton on Tuesday. ”I will hold their feet to the fire.”
Officials: No unusual emissions noted
The 10:50 a.m. explosion killed Timothy Quinn, 39, and Steven Menefee, 52.
Innamorato on Tuesday said the county, U.S. Steel and others continue to work together “to gather information to determine what happened yesterday.
“To get the information, we need to do a thorough investigation,” she added. “We all share a common goal that we want to get to the bottom of what happened and prevent it from ever happening again.”
It did not shutter the 124-year-old plant, which is integrated with the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock and the Irvin Works in West Mifflin. The Mon Valley Works is part of the iconic domestic steelmaker, which is being acquired by Nippon Steel of Japan in a deal recently approved by President Donald Trump.
It did, though, prompt the Health Department to issue a remain-indoors advisory to people living within a mile of the Clairton facility.
During a virtual Q&A session Tuesday, Allegheny County Health Department [ACHD] Director Dr. Iulia Vann said the advisory was issued as an “immediate precautionary measure.” But after five hours of continuous monitoring did not show levels above federal safety thresholds, the advisory was lifted.
Health officials continue to monitor air quality but do not foresee additional threats to the air around Clairton. Abigail Gardner, county communications director, said the administration is in talks with Shapiro about deploying some of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s air quality monitors to the region.
“As of right now we do not have any specific or different recommendations for the community in Allegheny County,” said Vann.
Officials also indicated that the explosion has not compelled the company to release or flare gases in Clairton or its other locations.
Innamorato said the Health Department is keeping a close eye on its air monitoring system “around the clock,” and also on networks of community-based devices, and so far has not seen any alarming numbers.
“If air quality decreases and warning numbers spike, we will take swift action,” Innamorato said.
Innamorato added that two ACHD inspectors were at the coke works for a routine inspection when the explosion occurred. One was inside a battery that exploded and sustained a shoulder injury, was hospitalized and released yesterday.
Vann said the Health Department, which enforces air quality laws, is participating in an “active investigation” involving multiple parties that could result in fines or other penalties.
“We are making sure that we are continuing to stay part of the investigation, and the team continues to monitor this closely.”
Community concerns not drifting away
Resident Melanie Meade heard the explosion from the top floor of her house perched on a hill above the Clairton Coke Works. She watched the plumes of black smoke rise from her attic window. Minutes later, Meade’s son, Joseph, said he could feel it in his throat, she recalled.
“I’m very concerned that the batteries are not being inspected or tested to a level that ensures their safe operation,” Meade said, pointing to the 2018 fire and an explosion at the plant earlier this year. “Why would the community think they would do anything different now?”
Meade said the explosions, and the other recent issues at the coke works, are avoidable.
“Someone shouldn’t have to die before they take action,” she said.
“We know that clean air continues to be a priority for our community members and events like the one yesterday highlights the need for that,” said Vann in the Health Department briefing for the media.
Along Miller Avenue, Felix Major stood in the shade in front of the Steel Valley Resource Center. He’s lived in Clairton 76 years. He saw the explosion from down the street, and the plumes rose above the hill.
“I knew immediately what it was,” he said. “I worked every nook and cranny down there at the mill.” U.S. Steel, he said, should “control the air pollution that causes illness and asthma in Clairton.” And now, with the explosion, he fears “it’s worse. You got more chemicals being released.”
Seated nearby, Chris Bush, 64, said he was at home sleeping on Monday when he heard a big boom and felt his house shaking. “I went outside and saw smoke.”
Bush returned indoors and closed his windows, relying on a fan to repel the worst of the heat. He said he was previously part of a class action lawsuit against the coke factory and received $795 in a settlement.
“That’s an insult,” he said. “It should have been more.”
Ansari said the calls and texts he received came from Clairton as well as surrounding communities and neighborhoods as far away as Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood, Homewood and North Side neighborhoods. He added that indoor air quality can become worse than outdoor, especially if a household doesn’t have an air purifier. VCAN is planning an emergency distribution of purifiers by week’s end.
“There were a couple people that had asthma problems, we have a couple older folks that were having dizzy spells, having a hard time going up and down the steps,” he continued. “We had to send some people to the hospital.”
He was concerned that the county may have lifted the stay-indoors advisory too early when it did so around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Ansari’s advice for those in affected communities:
- Stay near an air purifier if possible
- Track any symptoms you experience
- Take any prescribed medications
- If you feel unusual, get medical attention, and request a blood test
- Check on the older and younger people in your life.
Investments pledged
Nippon’s purchase of U.S. Steel includes a pledge to invest some $2 billion in the Mon Valley Works.
Responding to questions from the media, Shapiro noted that the investment will help further safety measures but did not share any specifics.
“The added investment of more than $2 billion that Nippon will put in this facility will not only allow it to be safer, more efficient, but ensure that steel making will continue in this region,” he said.
Shapiro, who was briefed by company officials prior to a 1:30 p.m. press conference, said he was “thankful to each and every member of the United Steelworkers who literally every day go forward in their jobs to help build this region, this commonwealth and build this country. It is dangerous work that they do. It shouldn’t be as dangerous as it was yesterday. We owe them an answer for what happened. We owe them the answers to their questions. We owe them to never forget their sacrifices that occurred yesterday.”
CEO David B. Burritt said U.S. Steel is working closely with local, state and federal authorities to “understand exactly what happened.”
He said he was “not going to speculate” about the cause of the explosion, but pledged to “share as much as we can as soon as we can.”
Ansari said he’s looking for a third-party investigation into the plant’s condition and hazards.
“I doubt this is going to be the last explosion that happens,” he said, noting a long history of malfunctions, notably including the late 2018 fire that resulted in weeks of repeated releases of sulfur dioxide. “It’s literally like a ticking time bomb. History is repeating itself, now we have two casualties and 10 people injured.”
He wasn’t optimistic about the likelihood of elected and corporate leaders engineering a long-term fix.
“When there’s a tragedy, they show up crying tears and they’re on TV,” he said. “But day to day, when there’s no fire or explosions and it’s not sexy and on TV, we still lose and have to bury our family members every day because of how sick they are.”
Editor’s note (8/14): This story was updated with information received after initial publication.
Eric Jankiewicz is Pittsburgh Public Source’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ericjankiewicz.
Quinn Glabicki is the environment and climate reporter at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. He can be reached at quinn@publicsource.org and on Instagram @quinnglabicki.
Stephanie Strasburg is a photojournalist with Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at Stephanie@publicsource.org or on Instagram at @stephaniestrasburg.
Jamie Wiggan is deputy editor at Pittsburgh’s PublicSource and can be reached at jamie@publicsource.org.
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