Limetree Bay refinery. Photo courtesy Oil & Gas Journal.
ST. CROIX, US Virgin Islands--The Limetree Bay refinery in St. Croix is releasing “light hydrocarbon odours” due to maintenance being conducted on its coker unit, prompting nearby schools to dismiss students, the company and the US Virgin Islands Department of Education said on Thursday.
Three St. Croix schools in the US Virgin Islands closed campuses on Thursday due to a noxious odour affecting air quality on campus, the department said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation, but there is the potential for additional odours while maintenance continues,” the company said, apologising for the impact on the local community.
The gassy odour has been present since Wednesday, according to residents on St. Croix. The nearby Limetree Bay refinery had been the source of noxious odours last month that caused some residents to feel ill and also shut schools.
Limetree Bay had said on Wednesday that its preliminary investigations revealed refinery units are operating normally and there was no activity that would have resulted in an odour.
During the April incidents the US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) determined that the Limetree Bay refinery was emitting excess sulphur dioxide due to hydrogen sulphide being burned.
The company agreed to resume sulphur dioxide monitoring, days after the US Environmental Protection Agency notified the company that it was in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Even short-term exposures to elevated levels of sulphur dioxide can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult, according to the EPA.
The DPNR said its team is currently investigating in the field. ~ Reuters ~
