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News photo by Steve Schulwitz The Decorative Panels International plant in Alpena sits on the banks of the Thunder Bay River and Lake Huron on Monday. The plant is the source of the foul smell that has raised the ire of residents. On Monday, the Alpena City Council went into closed session to discuss potential litigation over the plant and its odor.
ALPENA – A future test could help Alpena residents know whether or not to worry about their long-term health.
A state citation ordered Alpena Business Decor Panels International to fix the source of what it called “excessive and intolerable” odor regulators. Residents living near the garden said the smell made them sick.
DPI officials told the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy last week that the company has taken steps to reduce odors from the wastewater lagoon, including increasing river water and aerating and recirculating existing water.
DPI General Manager Daryl Clendenon said in a statement to the News that “there is no evidence or connection to odors in the community.”
Environmental officials have not yet tested the air to see if it could cause long-term health problems.
Brandon Reid, a toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said smell and the chemicals it causes can cause harmful health symptoms, but scientists have a hard time linking odors to actual illnesses that don’t go away when the smell is removed. Environmental health.
He said the only way to determine air safety around sites like DPI is through air sampling.
“We definitely don’t believe our noses,” Reid said.
Complaints, no attempt yet.
When residents complained about the smell on the North Side last month when they met with Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora, many said the strong odors triggered headaches and asthma or other underlying conditions.
Waligora encouraged residents to take health concerns to the local health department.
District Health Department No. 4 told the News that the department has “no programmatic or jurisdictional authority in this area” and that control over DPI-related matters rests entirely with EGLE.
Alpena residents continue to report foul odors emanating from DPI to EGLE’s pollution emergency hotline, including complaints from last week, EGLE spokeswoman Jill Greenberg said.
EGLE has received 77 odor-related complaints from the Alpena area since July 1. Not all complaints were about DPI.
The agency has received a number of complaints specifically reporting public health concerns associated with the perfume, Greenberg said.
Many residents who call the hotline say the smell — which one caller described as “sulphur, sewage and death mixed together” — makes them nauseous.
After completing its review of DPI’s response, EGLE will decide on next steps, including the possibility of air testing, Greenberg said.
DHHS has not tested DPI’s air but is working with EGLE on DPI-related odor concerns, spokeswoman Lynn Sutphin said.
Decomposing plant odors known to come from DPI Lake were identified by EGLE monitors as coming from sulfur-containing chemicals elsewhere. Sutfin said those chemicals require special sampling and must be analyzed quickly after collection.
The agency does not know when such an investigation will be conducted by DPI, but will share the results publicly, Sutphin said.
Expert opinion
As a specialist in the state’s area of ​​concern about environmental pollution and health impacts, Reid often hears from residents who want to know whether unpleasant and irritating odors can have long-term effects on their health.
Most of the symptoms associated with unpleasant odors, such as headaches or nausea, disappear when the odor is removed, he said, a reaction to the odor itself or the chemicals underlying the odor.
Human sensitivity to smell varies widely, and experts who assess potential risk using sites like DPI have difficulty doing so based on people’s reactions, Reid said.
The potential for a chemical to harm people by smelling it depends on the chemical’s toxic properties “and how well that chemical reaches the person who smells it,” Reed said.
A strong, offensive odor does not necessarily mean that a chemical is toxic or has long-term effects; Scientists often can’t identify a chemical by its smell because some chemicals smell the same or don’t smell at all, he said.
DPI General Manager Clendenen, who said his company deeply regrets the problems caused by the unpleasant odors emanating from the lake, encouraged residents who feel sick to consult their health care providers.
“We remain committed to eliminating odors from the lake for the foreseeable future and sincerely hope this issue is resolved soon,” Clendenen said.
Residents can report environmental concerns to the EGLE Pollution Emergency Alert System at 800-292-4706.
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