Suncor oil refinery spews 8.5 tons a year of cyanide gas over low-income north Denver neighborhoods,

[turbinetree]

Suncor Energy’s oil refinery is spewing 8.5 tons a year of invisible hydrogen cyanide gas over low-income north Denver neighborhoods, state records show.

Community groups in Globeville, Swansea and Elyria this week petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to require Colorado health officials to set a limit that protects people and at least require Suncor to disclose emissions of the gas to local emergency responders.

CDPHE air quality control officials in January approved a change to Suncor’s air pollution permit that exempts the company from a federal requirement to disclose hydrogen cyanide emissions. The officials set an emissions limit of 12.8 tons a year — higher than the 8.5 tons Suncor reported it emits — for the purpose of letting Suncor use a legal loophole that lets companies with permitted limits avoid disclosure of those emissions, a state document shows.

This CDPHE action overrode objections by Adams County Commissioners, who raised health concerns and said transparency is vital for emergency crews to be able to respond to potential hazards.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/04/19/suncor-energy-cyanide-gas-poor-denver-neighborhoods/


This is just as fucked up ......................

[quartz007]

1. Is the death rate there higher than normal?

[Igel]

2. Big number.

But I can't tell how big without it being in a form that can be compared with things like, say, atmospheric levels that are considered dangerous.

It's about 2 lbs per day (but it might not be emitted at a constant rate). But I don't know how it's mixed in the atmosphere, or the amount of air it's mixed with, or whether it's brought close to the ground or diffuses mostly upwards (since it's just a little lighter than air when in gaseous solution).

In other words, it's one of those cases where you're given the information in a way that doesn't so much produce understanding so much as outrage without understanding.

So the correct question is, "Is this a dangerous amount?" In other words, is there an effect from this?