The air we breathe

One of our neighbors has brought this to my attention and I'm glad she did because I didn't know anything about it (I need to get outdoors more).

Some brief notes about air in 19th ward...

My neighbor asked me if I ever smelled vinegar outside. I hadn't noticed it, but she made some phone calls to get us more information: She spoke with Tom Marriot (with City?) on 4/30. He said the smell is either acetone

(acetone is found naturally in plants, trees, volcanic gases, forest fires and as a product of breakdown of body fat. Apart from this it is also present in vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke and landfill sites. It is a colorless liquid and has a distinct taste and smell. It is widely used in making plastic, fibers, drugs and other chemicals.)

or non toxic acetic acid

(acetic acid is widely used in textile and food industry. Acetic acid is a clear liquid that has a pungent odor. It is free from water and is highly corrosive in nature.)

put out by American Aerogel off Mount Read and Buffalo Road. Neither one of these sounds like something I want to breathe in or have in my neighborhood. It's a newer facility and there have been other complaints. If not noticeably better in June, be sure to call. Record dates times and smell strength. Call Dan Walsh 585.226.5317 about vinegar smell.

We should encourage people to make notes about when they smell it and call the number to report the smell. The more we report, the more pressure placed on the company to fix.

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Phillips on August 20, 2012 at 11:51am

Catching up on discussions and just saw this one. Did some digging of my own about a year or two ago after an episode of worse-than-usual vinegar smell and ended up with the same contact and information about American Aerogel. I've been calling Dan Walsh every now and again when I smell it, but certainly have not been as diligent about it as I should be. I will try to be more diligent in the future! Haven't smelled it lately.

Leslie

P.S. I would bet that it's acetic acid and not acetone. Acetone would smell like nail polish remover, and that is not what it smells like.

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Permalink Reply by DeWain Feller on August 21, 2012 at 9:33pm

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Laura. And thanks, Leslie for your post, because I did not catch Laura's original post.

Has anyone smelled this recently, and if so, oh what streets? The 19th WCA could put pressure on American Aerogel if we get a number of reports.

Presumably Dan Walsh work for American Aerogel. What is his position there?

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Phillips on August 21, 2012 at 9:38pm

I'm sorry, I wasn't very clear. Dan Walsh is with the DEC

Leslie

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Permalink Reply by Judi Baker on August 21, 2012 at 10:15pm

acetone, if i am not mistaken, is also used to manufacture meth.

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Phillips on August 22, 2012 at 9:07am

The smell I've smelled is definitely not acetone. It smells like acetic acid (vinegar. I used to work in a lab and we used to rinse things with acetone, so I know that smell even though it's been a while! :) )

Leslie