Porter County Emergency management has given an update on air quality testing.
Late Monday afternoon Porter County EMA said on its Facebook page that it has worked in conjunction with LaPorte County EMA and Hazmat to ensure testing has been conducted specific to the gas involved, which they say is Sulfur Dioxide, in Sunday night’s events.
“All areas tested resulted in readings of zero parts per million,” Porter County EMA said. “This testing reveals that the environment is in fact safe for citizens. We apologize for any delay in getting results out to the public. However, we wanted to be definitively sure that levels were in fact, safe. Thank you to the public for your support and patience throughout this event.”
Porter County EMA did not say in the statement when the testing took place.
A previous update early Monday by Porter County EMA stated the following:
“Update on Unknown Odor Throughout Lake, Porter & LaPorte Counties:
Due to severe weather conditions in the region today, BP’s Whiting refinery experienced an operational disruption that triggered unplanned flaring of gases from their facility. BP Crews have been on site to manage the situation. Community monitoring has been ongoing throughout the day and BP advises they expect the situation to be resolved in the coming hours. They further advise there is no danger to the community at this time. Other industries throughout Porter, Lake and LaPorte Counties have been contacted and we have found no other evidence of releases or spills. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has been notified of the situation and will be conducting follow-up evaluations.”