National Guard team found elevated sulfur dioxide levels near Limetree Bay Refinery on St. Croix

Preliminary air-quality testing on St. Croix found elevated levels of sulfur dioxide near the Limetree Bay Refinery on May 8, 2021, according to Government House.

The Virgin Islands National Guard Civil Support Team joined the investigation after being activated by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and conducted monitoring from the afternoon of May 7 into the morning of May 8. The preliminary readings narrowed the investigation to the south shore industrial corridor that includes the refinery, the Diageo rum distillery, the Anguilla landfill and the asphalt plant north of the landfill.

Government House said readings taken outside the other facilities on May 8 did not show elevated levels of harmful chemical constituents. It said the refinery had not identified a specific upset, but the investigation continued to focus on the refinery based on the chemical constituents detected, while not ruling out other sources.

Additional air-quality monitoring instruments from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency arrived on St. Croix on May 8 and were to be used by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the EPA for continuous monitoring across the island to help confirm the source of the odor.

Government House said the National Guard team was to be stationed in Frederiksted on the evening of May 8 to respond quickly to resident complaints and conduct further testing. Residents with respiratory ailments were advised to consider staying indoors or taking other protective measures.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/national-guard-civil-support-team-finds-elevated-levels-of-sulfur-dioxide-in-atmosphere/