Human and Environmental Incident List

Gainsville, FL

(not in reference)

Grinnell, IA

(not in reference)

Montreal (Canada)

MEDIA REPORT: Spooner Middle School will remain closed and remote learning will begin next week after a strong epoxy-like odor prompted an evacuation Wednesday (11/10) and caused 60 staff and students to seek medical treatment. Spooner Area School District Superintendent told WPR a student first reported what they believed to be a gas leak around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday. Staff members investigated the source of the smell, which was near the gym and a classroom wing. Not long after, students and staff began reporting that they weren’t feeling well, and the principal ordered an evacuation to a nearby church a half hour later. The district closed the school for the remainder of the day, and students were sent home. The district reported 36 students and 24 staff members have sought medical care since Wednesday, reporting symptoms of nausea and lightheadedness. At least two students were transported to medical facilities outside the area. Officials have yet to identify the cause behind what made people sick. "There's been extensive ongoing carbon monoxide testing, which has all fallen within normal levels," the Superintendent said late Thursday (11/11). "We're working with local health and safety officials and also with a state agency. We will be looking to have more extensive testing conducted to determine the source of that strong epoxy-like odor that made many people sick." Environmental sampling is ongoing, and results of the testing are expected sometime next week.

One parent is frustrated she didn’t receive notice from the school about the situation until nearly two hours after the odor was discovered. She said her 12-year-old stepdaughter complained of a headache and nausea when her dad picked her up from school Wednesday. She said "I saw a couple of my friends have to go right to the hospital, get picked up by the EMTs, and headed off in the ambulances. My friend was pretty upset about the whole ordeal, and I am too". "I don't think they handled the situation properly." She said her stepdaughter is doing well, but she wants the district to be more transparent about what’s happening. She and her husband have three kids who attend school within the district. Classes are continuing as scheduled for Spooner Elementary School, Spooner High School and the Washburn County Alternative High School. She worries whether it’s safe for their kids to attend while the investigation continues. She also noted district administration sent out an email Wednesday to parents. According to the email, obtained by WPR, "students were evacuated from the middle school due to an epoxy odor that drifted into the building from the construction on the storm drains." "If it was something to do with the sewers, why are the sewers leaking into the school, for one? And, if it wasn't the sewers, then what was it?"

On Friday, the district said the focus of the investigation turned to a product being used as part of work on sewers in the neighborhood. "The sanitary sewer service notification provided to residents prior to the work beginning was not provided to the school. As a result, the school was not able to take the actions that had been suggested to homeowners," according to the Friday press release. No further details were offered on the work being conducted, the product involved, or the actions that were recommended. A woman reached at the district office Friday said officials had no further comment beyond the release.

MEDIA REPORT: A resident caught a whiff of something that smelled like a gas leak coming from his basement. His Wooster Square neighbors smelled it, too, in their homes. The resident thought he was smelling acetone or xylene in his St. John Street home on 1/13 (Wednesday). He called the gas company to describe the smell to them and ask if any gas leaks had been reported. None had. He was advised to call the New Haven Fire Department (NHFD). He dialed 911.

A firefighter showed up. “When they opened my door, the firefighter could smell it in my house from across the street,” the resident said. “They told me the odor wasn’t at a high enough level to make my house to blow up.” After investigating resident’s basement, the NHFD determined that the smell was traveling from the sewer lining project being done on Grand Avenue. The resident was explained that the relining process requires the use of cleaning solvents that are nontoxic but have a heavy odor, said the New Haven Fire Chief. Alston said the resident was not the only one calling with concerns. “New Haven Fire Department informed them [contractors] of the complaints and calls we received. NHFD entered and investigated structures with meters. Found nothing abnormal,” Alston said via text on 1/14 (Thursday) afternoon. Then they made contact with WPCA and figured out what was up. Wednesday was the first day the WPCA was cleaning and lining the Wooster Square pipes. The contractor hired for the job, Insituform, expects to work on Grand Avenue, Olive Street, Court Street, and Commerce Street next week, the on to Wooster, Olive and Jefferson streets the following week, according to WPCA Director of Engineering. That will end this first phase of the work. A second phase is planned for late February or early March for other sections of Olive Street. Prior to the lining work, the crews cleaned the sewer pipes using high-pressure water hoses. Cleaning solutions used include Nitric acid, sulfuric acid, ASTM Fuel C, vegetable oil, detergent, and soap, according to WPCA Director of Engineering. He said the odors smelled in the neighborhood come from polyester resin/styrene, according to WPCA Director of Engineering. “Odors that occur in houses or buildings will happen with dry, incorrectly installed, or non-existent traps,” he stated in an email to the Independent, attaching this data sheet on the chemical’s safety. “In most cases, pouring several gallons of water down floor drains, sinks, or showers that haven’t been used in a long time will often stop the odor from entering the home. If odors do enter a home, they are asked to notify the field personnel who will assist. Generally, the odor is most prominent during the curing process which lasts for several hours. After curing, the odors quickly dissipate.”

MEDIA REPORT: Some residents on Wooster Street woke up to a strong smell of chemical odor Thursday (1/28/2021), which they described as smelling like a permanent marker. The smell was the result of a project to line century-old brick sewer lines with a resin material, according to the project engineer for Insituform Technologies. He said the smell was from styrene used in the resin.

While most of the work was performed overnight, there was still a strong smell inside the lower three floors of a Wooster Street building Thursday afternoon. "The stairwell going into our building makes me want to throw up still," said the resident who lives on the second floor. "there are no windows; there is no ventilation." She removed her three small children from the front room of her apartment, where the smell was strongest.

"We go from manhole to manhole and insert a liner. It kind of puts like a PVC pipe inside the existing pipe," the project engineer said. "Styrene is what you're smelling, and it seems like you might have an issue with the ... sewer trap, the plumbing trap in the basement." He said if the trap is dry it could cause the odor to rise into a building. A notice on the building had warned that there might be an odor and that pouring water down the drain would help reduce it.

"I tried that and it didn't work," said a first-floor resident. She said she had spent the night elsewhere because the notice said to limit water use and she smelled the styrene when she returned home at 8 a.m.

A resident on the third floor said the residents at first thought they smelled gas. "We all cleared out of the building. The gas company came and checked it and they said it is not gas but it is a super-strong smell," she said. "It is not on the street. It's definitely within the building." She also said the residents reported the issue on SeeClickFix, a website that is used for reporting concerns. A comment left by a project engineer with the WPCA said, "The positive is that those sewers were built in the 1870s and those are now good as new, ready to serve our community for the next 100 years."

The project engineer said the styrene is not a danger to health. It is listed on the Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He also mentioned, "It's an unusual smell, not harmful and our guys work with it every day." According to an Insituform information sheet, "Some people are more sensitive to these odors. Common symptoms of exposure to the levels of styrene typically produced by the sewer rehabilitation process include headache, nausea, dizziness, and lightheadedness. These symptoms will likely go away after the exposure ends and the person is allowed to get some fresh air. If you experience a feeling of headache, nausea, dizziness, and lightheadedness, seek fresh air immediately. If these symptoms persist, seek medical attention."

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: A resident detected there was an awful pungent chemically “glue” smell. As the resident descended further down into the basement, he opened all of the windows as he had done the two previous times caused by nearby sewer lining work. A building occupant sought medical attention previously and the medical provider doctor suggested the illness was caused by chemical exposure/irritation in the house.

The first time that the contractor was lining sewer pipes they put a doorknocker in the resident's mailbox a couple days before they started work. The contractor used steam to “cure” the product, which reportedly contained styrene. The first time the resident called the number on the door knocker, he was put in touch with a local contractor supervisor who offered to come by. The second time his home was contaminated, a week later, the contractors moved a block north up the street and the resident he was not made aware that they were doing additional work. The resident saw several contractor trucks up the street with clouds of “steam/styrene billowing out.” The resident detected odor in his home and suspected that the odor traveled through the sewer pipes down the street. The resident called the contractor a second time and the supervisor "followed the script," suggesting the resident open windows and pour water in sewer traps and if the smell was still around, the contractor would drop by.

The 3^rd time the building was contaminated, after opening house window and doors, the resident walked up the street and talked to a young worker for the contractor and asked to speak to the supervisor. Along the way the resident spoke to several people. One was taking her two small kids out for a walk in the park because of the strong “glue smell” in their home and another one who they had awful smell emanating from their basement. A third citizen had said that he had closed the door to his basement to try to alleviate the smell. Persons were concerned because their children were all inside the home. None of them knew the cause at the time. The young CIPP worker said that they “don’t know from one week to the next" where they will be working.

The contractor had a hand-held meter and offered to come into the resident’s house and take a reading. Because of the pandemic, the resident offered to take the meter into the house. But the resident had the windows open for 45 minutes before the meter was brought into the house. The meter registered 0 ppm. The resident told the contractor that the reason the chemicals entered the house was unlikely an issue with old “traps” as the building owner had done a complete underpinning renovation in the basement only 12 years prior and storm water backup preventers were installed. The contractor suggested the smell could have come from the "steam" coming out of the sewer grate across the street from the house. The contractor said they were repairing storm water pipes. Because of the cold outdoor temperature, the resident couldn’t keep the windows and doors open any long. The homeowner took their children out and when they returned the smell was still present and made them feel nauseous.

MEDIA REPORT: Some of the work on the $2.1 million Bedillion Lane Sewer Improvement Project recently brought with it some unpleasant odors and it affected neighborhoods. Sanitary sewer pipelining was conducted behind WesBanco Arena near 14th Street and the mouth of Wheeling Creek. The contractor noted that the work “may produce an odor, but it is not hazardous and is non-toxic.” “To say this sewer work is dirty and stinky is an understatement,” Ward 5 City Councilman said. He also said, “This work kind of emits odors of sewer gas and burnt plastic, but thankfully city staff came up with a great solution which included venting out manholes in Dimmeydale and Oakmont, and using high-powered fans to siphon odors out of our sewer lines.” The councilman, representing the city ward where the major sewer project continues, also thanked the city operations and fire departments for their efforts, along with the residents of Oakmont and Dimmeydale for their continued patience.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: A resident was woke at 5 a.m. by "model glue smell" inside the apartment. The odor had lingered on the block for days, but this latest odor was the strongest it has been inside the building. Other residents had expressed similar complaints and concerns for 7 days earlier on Nextdoor and Reddit. The Jersey City Municipal Utility Authority posted a public notification on 8/19/20 that stated: “When this phase of rehabilitation work is being performed, it is essential to keep water usage to an absolute minimum until the work is completed.” The residents on Pavonia Ave were reportedly not notified whether work is complete and they do not know if water usage can continue as normal. At 9:15 PM on 08/19/2020, the fire department arrived at the residential building. A 4th floor tenant called about the odor from the "sewer work" and the fire department brought fans into that specific unit for about 15 minutes and then left. The resident was concerned because: 1) no notice or precautionary measures were provided by the city in advance of this work, 2) other neighborhood parents were reportedly equally concerned, and 3) the resident reached out to the Jersey City Councilman and the State Health Department to express those concerns.

250 ng/L in the basement (house)

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: Sewer lining project was conducted for two days (12/3-12/4). Before and during CIPP manufacture, residents stated they were not warned of danger this project or product could cause. The fumes from the project infiltrated a home. The first day the resident noticed a strong adhesive-type odor in the kitchen and left the home. When they returned, the odor was throughout the house. Some building occupants remained outdoors to avoid the odor, but the odor outdoors was also overwhelming. They noticed a plume coming out of one of the trucks nearby. The contractor said the product wasn’t toxic, and the chemical was styrene. The resident informed the contractor that there were many children, infants, elderly in the neighborhood. The contractor asked if residents would like to stay at a hotel, did they need fans, and did they want some air purifiers. The residents kept the back doors and several windows open in an effort to rid the house of the chemicals, and also asked for a fan and air purifiers, but the air purifiers did not seem to reduce the odor. Opening all the doors and using a box fan to exhaust indoor air was helpful to reduce the odor per the residents. The resident thought the smell would have dissipated after 1 day but it hadn’t. The resident asked for air testing in their home by the contractor but did not receive an answer.

After contacting the city several times, the resident heard back from the City on December 15, 2020. The city employee who oversaw stormwater and sewer infrastructure admitted that there were problems with the project.

1) The information flyer that should have been distributed prior to the CIPP work on door tags was not issued.

2) The door tag included false statements about the safety and long-term effects of chemical exposure, so the city will not use it.

3) An additive called Styredux (a commercial product) was not used.

4) Contractors did not use fans upstream or downstream of their CIPP project.

4) The contractor and the city’s inspector did not report the reported odor problems to the city.

FOIA/PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: An explosion occurred inside a private residence when the building owner turned on a sump pump in the basement. The owner smelled an odor on the 2nd floor and the basement when a CIPP project was being conducted in front of the house. The building was 1929, 3-story house. The building owner went into the basement to investigate. The window inside the basement was opened and the sump pump was turned on because the resident thought the smell was coming from a sump pit. When the sump pump was turned on, the explosion occurred, and flames shot into air out of the pit. The owner required medical attention for burns and other health impacts. The city concluded the CIPP project nearby caused vapors to build up in the building owners’ sewer pipe sump, which was connected to the city sewer system, and a spark from the sump pump initiated the explosion. Regina, CAN fire department measured 49 ppm of methane on fittings by the boiler.

MEDIA REPORT: A family in Le Grand Bouet was left unwell and fearing for their health after a ‘heavy, noxious, unbearable’ smell entered their home.

‘I don’t know who has approved the use of resins to repair the drains/sewer pipes, but the smell coming out of the drain covers and up through the U bends in our house last [9/8/2019, Saturday] evening and during the night has made us ill this morning [9/9/2019, Sunday],’ said a family member. The resident said they woke with a headache and coughing, while other household members woke in the night with coughing fits. He said the smell was heavy, noxious and unbearable. ‘I have had to open all the windows and still the smell fills the house.’ The smell did not go and yesterday they again woke with the resin smell and a headache, worrying that their health would be affected.

The source was cured-in-place pipeline liners which have been used for many years in Guernsey as well as in the UK and other parts of the world. ‘Guernsey Water has lined approximately 20 km of sewer using this technique with the same product,’ said the capital service manager. ‘We are aware that at times fibreglass-like odours are noticeable. This unfortunately is unavoidable, however, we would like to reassure islanders that short term exposure to these odours will not have any adverse health effects and that the materials used are approved and used as standard throughout the industry for the lining of sewers, as well as raw and potable water mains.’ He said an issue occurred on Saturday during section one of the sewer lining work which left that section heat damaged and unusable. An extension on the closure is not anticipated. ‘While investigations continue, our teams are also working to source a replacement liner for the continuation of the project.’

Comments Reported by the Resident in an email to the New York City Health Department:

1. Today marks one week since the work was done. The odor started to dissipate around Thursday, but was still strong for another day at least. Today was the first day I didn't smell anything in our lobby or elevator.
2. The odors lasted well into Saturday.
3. Lasted just under a week with sealing off drains and ventilating
4. Very obnoxious/pervasive for several days in halls, lobby, elevator and eventually dissipated. We received no advance notice/warning so had no idea what it was. Id say: finish the job after warning us first...and then never again!
5. The first 3 days the odors were terrible, causing eye irritation and headaches. One week later they are still present, though milder. We were told by the city they were non toxic, but according to the information you just sent, that is not true.
6. Odors lasted all day and into the next day. We received a notification that they are doing the remaining part of the street (western end) on Thursday, March 15.
7. Residents on top floor noticed it more
8. It was around the next day too
9. odors still linger in the building as of 3/13, but dissipating now. Trucks almost outside 320 W 84th so very strong, plus exhaust from truck. Hope truck moves elsewhere!
10. The odors continue. were actually quite strong
11. The smells lasted into Sunday. I opened all of the windows on the back of our house. They were strongest in the basement and rose throughput our house.
12. 3-4 days; FDNY came and said nothing to do except open windows, and that the chemical is NOT TOXIC (???)
13. the odors lasted until about Monday with all of our windows open. Worried about what will happen this Thursday when they are basically outside our house.
14. Extraordinarily strong odor... for 3+ days, left windows open and could not use part of the house. Certainly NOT normal, this was severe and we called the City and the contractor etc.
15. Can you please let me know if the scheduled work is cancelled bc you want to check on health concerns? I am making arrangements to have my kids away bc of the Work. So if cancelled I’d love to know in advance.
16. Work should be postponed until warmer temperatures will allow to open all windows for proper ventilation!
17. The entryway, lobby and elevator absolutely reeked for almost a week. It smelled worse than paint fumes and the when I spoke with ground floor residents, they said they felt like they were being gassed. This is not OK and the notice I receive today about this bldg being worked on this week has made me extremely anxious for my asthmatic elderly cat and for my own asthma/allergies. This does NOT seem safe!
18. Tight feeling in throat and respiratory irritation.
19. Woke up with headaches
20. All week strong odors giving us headaches, sore throats, feeling dopey and sick!!!!!
21. When I went outside of the building, I was aware of the noxious odors, but the work had not come in front of our building. I had no bad reaction, but plan to stay way with the completion of work on the block and have warned all in the building - especially the couple expecting a baby. Outside odor was very pungent and strong.
22. Odor was strongly noted in the lobby only. Lasted one day. Don’t know if the apartment owners on the lobby floor had more physical complaints but would be interesting to find out
23. We experienced strong fumes, causing watering of eyes and headache. Opened windows and left house from 4 pm until 12midnight. Fumes remained through Sunday (5 days) and we kept windows open throughout that period, trying to stay away from home as often as possible. We hope there are no lasting effects!
24. headaches
25. Strong, sickening chemical odors while walking on 84th Street east to west towards Riverside
26. our building management fid nothing to warn us or ventilate after the work
27. We still have the odors in our house. They are still strong. We have our windows open.
28. Given our building was directly affected by yesterday's work, it is not surprising that the smells were stronger. The smell was almost overwhelming yesterday and I suffered a headache and nausea all day. My children were also affected with headaches. The smell is still lingering today, although not nearly as strong. I am ventilating the house which was difficult yesterday as the smell outside was nearly as strong as inside. Ventilation once the work had completed assisted with removing the strong odors but it cannot be good for us to be breathing these odors all day. I note that the gentlemen going into the sewer line to complete the work were wearing Hazmat suits. Whilst I realize the smell would be much more concentrated in the sewer line, this is surely an indication of its dangers. I also noticed that someone had called the fire brigade to come and investigate the fumes because they were so strong.
29. We didn’t smell anything last week either. When we did smell it on the block it was when we were close to manhole covers.
30. We have a small child and were forced to evacuate. Doors are hurt as strong today even after sealing of drains and ventilating
31. Unbelievably bad. Coughing/itching/eyes burning. Toxic and carcinogenic. We had to abandon our apartment and the odor is still strong. We have a modern double trap for our sewer line yet it persists.
32. Still smell it though much less
33. Much better! Truck was located elsewhere and not outside 320. Something sure was different second time around.
34. Any smells we had seemed to be coming in from the air on the street. It was gone on Friday.
35. Smells are still pretty bad in the basement and elevator of our building today, but faint on the 4th floor where we live. I do think that last week was worse.
36. I awoke this morning with dried out and sore nasal passages and throat. STOP this!
37. The odors were moderate. Not as bad as for the first section of the work on the previous week.
38. At 118 RSD, strong chem odor was in the lobby and cellar but not in the apartment
39. I’m on the 10th floor and could smell them in my elevator lobby
40. We found the odor problem to be much improved over the last time; it seems to be pretty much gone today. Part of it may have been the fact that, given a heads-up, we were able to close most of the drains.
41. I noticed the odor in our building's basement.
42. I submitted a report through 311!
43. The odors were still extremely strong this morning when I left for work at 8:00 am.
44. extremely strong odor throughout entire townhouse
45. The odors were obvious last night when work was done on the Riverside half of the block. It might have been because the trucks were closer to our building (333) as were open sewer lines. Our top floor resident complained about highly offensive odors and the 4th floor resident said dishes left in the dishwasher had to be rewashed because of the odor. On the ground floor, in my apartment I taped/sealed windows; put towels under windows and doors; taped drains in showers, tubs and sinks and came home to a noticeable odor around 8PM. Once the trucks left, I opened windows for cross ventilation to air out the apartment. No lingering odor remains. Note: The prior week's work was not noticeable to me until I went outside around 4PM and then it was extremely pungent. That is why I sealed all windows for yesterday's work. As noted, the smell in the 2nd week got into my street level apartment and was aired out. Since I was out for the entire day yesterday, I cannot attest to conditions until 8PM.
46. My throat was burning a little. My dog, who has a heart condition, was coughing. Had to put a towel under my door.
47. I made an extensive effort to minimize the odors in our apt this week by closing off drains, not opening windows etc The week before (when our half of the street was being treated) the odors were intense and lingered well into the beginning of this week.
48. I closed basement door to keep fumes from coming up stairwell and closed drains, but still had burning in eyes and nose over night.
49. we all had sore throats, felt dopey and stupid and had headaches. The smell kept coming and going and the house is freezing from open windows and fans.
50. Odors they were irritating to eyes and throat were most prevalent in our building’s lobby and elevator shaft. Living on the first floor off the lobby was not pleasant yesterday due to the fumes.
51. Smell is NOT IN THE STREET where cool winds are constantly blowing but harsh acrid smells greet you when you enter the lobby. Doorman told me it is much worse in the basement. My eyes are sensitive to it. I am sorry they used this harsh chemical. I notified 311.
52. Odor is unbelievably bad. It's hard to believe the city could let this happen. This can't be good!
53. This week was much less smelly then last week. I think it may be because it was not in front of my building.
54. When the water finally came on - 40 minutes after it was supposed to at 8 PM - it smelled when I ran it. It smelled like chemicals. I was afraid to use it because of the smell so I waited until the morning when more water had been through the pipes (and had hopefully washed away the poison) to bathe. I'm extremely uncomfortable with the process the city used to address this and I do not have faith that there are not now more chemicals and toxins in the water. The water in this building is regularly brown and city. Now I also have to worry that it has chemicals in it.
55. Like others noted, it smelled pretty bad on Thursday, but had dissipated pretty well by Friday. My building smelled quite bad a couple of days earlier, which I later heard was when they did 83rd Street - is that right? I was told by a neighbor who said they had to move to a hotel last week. (They have a baby, too.) They're in a brownstone.
56. As of today 3/19/18 the odor is not as strong but still lingers in the building and has caused all my clothing to smell of the chemical odor.

"No odor" responses were largely from the 6 apartment buildings with high floors.