Emissions Found Coming From Dominion Cove Point Right Now!

February 28th, 2017

Awake Goy

Above Photo: Kayactivists on land and water protest Dominion at Solomon’s Island in Cove Point community, by Jimmy Betts.

Emissions have been detected coming from the fracked gas export terminal Dominion is building in the Cove Point community of Lusby, Maryland. This is well ahead of even the rosiest of projected completion dates. Residents have been fighting this terminal for the past few years, many with the assumption that the air would be unhealthy for them and their families if the terminal is completed and opens. Since the facility has been mostly dormant for the past 40 years as an import terminal, there’s been less concern about health risks prior to the project’s completion. However, new footage shows Dominion is already polluting the air at Cove Point.

After being invited by We Are Cove Point, a team from Earthworks traveled to Cove Point in early February, bringing a FLIR camera operator all the way from Colorado. FLIR cameras are designed to pick up heat and gaseous emissions invisible to the naked eye. Click here for more details on Earthworks’ FLIR camera program.

FLIR cameras can show that emissions are occurring, but not the volume or type of emissions. In the words of the FLIR operator who came to Cove Point, the resulting footage shows “a noticeable non-heat plume above the point source, and it went quite high into the air. There is a possibility that this emissions plume contains toxic volatile organic compounds, and it definitely contains greenhouse gasses. It is usually understood that between 92 and 97 percent of combusted point sources are actually burned. The rest, particularly methane in the context of gas-fired compressor turbine exhaust, emits without being burned off fully. I would suggest getting answers from regulators about the exact combustion efficiency of this site to calculate possible methane emissions.”

It’s important that affected people and watchdogs know exactly what is currently being emitted from Dominion Cove Point. It is alarming that these emissions are occurring right now, without the knowledge of the surrounding community.

If you live near this facility, we recommend you keep a nuisance calendar — notes that list the date and time of any symptoms or illnesses you feel. This can be anything from headaches to nausea to vomiting to trouble breathing. If you notice or smell anything other than clean air, Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community has created a form to help keep a record and make a complaint. Politicians and regulators have shown they won’t be on top of these concerns, so it’s up to us to keep track of these impacts.

Dominion is permitted to emit the pollutants below and many more.* The emissions recorded in the video could include any mixture of the following:

Pollutant – Health effects of note:
Trichloroethane – liver cancer
Tetrachloroethane – liver tumors
Butadiene – hemato cancer
Dichloropropene – cancer of the bladder, liver, lung and forestomach
Chloronaphthalene – lung, stomach and skin cancer
Methlnaphthalene – lung and nasal tumors
Acrolein – decreased pulmonary function; chronic respiratory disease
Anthracene – lung, kidney and skin cancer
Arsenic – lung and lymphatic cancer
Benzene – dizziness and unconsciousness; longterm exposure can cause leukemia
Beryllium – lung cancer
Biphenyl – irritation of eyes, nose and skin; nausea
Cadmium – prostatic and lung cancer
Chlorobenzene – irritation of eyes, skin and nose; central nervous system depression
Chromium – irritations of eyes and skin; lung fibrosis
Cobalt – asthma; many other respiratory and pulmonary symptoms
Dichlorobenzene – irritation of eyes and nose; liver and kidney damage; skin blisters
Formaldehyde – nasal cancer
Hexane – aspiration of liquid; irritation of eyes and nose; headaches; weakness
Lead – kidney disease; digestive disorders; joint paralysis; irritation of eyes; tremors
Manganese – kidney damage; respiratory disorders; vomiting; mental confusion; insomnia
Mercury – irritation of eyes and skin; respiratory disorders; tremors; insomnia; headaches
Methanol – irritation of eyes, skin and upper respiratory system; headaches; blindness
Naphthalene – irritation of eyes, nose and throat; asthma; other respiratory disorders
Nickel – sensitization dermatitis; allergic asthma; pneumonitis
Phenanthrene – lung, kidney and skin cancer
Phenol – liver and kidney damage; irritation of eyes, nose and throat; skin burns
Pyrene – lung, kidney and skin cancer
Selenium – irritation of eyes, skin, nose and throat; eye and skin burns; headaches
Styrene – reproductive effects; irritation of eyes, nose and respiratory system; headaches
Toluene – liver and kidney damage; irritation of eyes and nose; headaches; confusion
Vinyl – chloride liver cancer
Xylenes – irritation of eyes, skin, nose and throat; vomiting; corneal vacuolization
Barium – cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and reproductive disorders
Ammonia – high levels can cause burns of skin, eyes, nose and throat; lung damage; death
Butane – drowsiness; narcosis; asphyxia
Chrysene – lung, kidney and skin cancer
Copper – irritation of eyes and upper respiratory system; chills and aches; nausea; fever
Sulfuric acid – mist increased risk of cancer of the larynx and lung
Vanadium – irritation of eyes, skin and throat; eczema; respiratory illnesses; green tongue
Zinc – gastrointestinal, hematological and respiratory illnesses

*This information comes from the Maryland Public Service Commission, which issued the permit to build and run a full-size power plant on the site. This was the largest permit issued by the Maryland government to Dominion Cove Point. To download a full spreadsheet with detailed information about the quantity of each of these pollutants that are permitted to be emitted from Dominion Cove Point, click on HAPs_TAPs.

Source Article from https://popularresistance.org/emissions-found-coming-from-dominion-cove-point-right-now/