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Hydrogen sulfide air tests underway on Marco
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After finalizing a contract with the city Wednesday, the environmental firm charged with monitoring the presence of hydrogen sulfide has begun preliminary tests of ambient air around the island.
Scientists from the firm, ENVIRON, have spent their energies this week scoping out spots to gather background air samples, the measuring stick by which they will compare samples from construction locations on the island. As of Thursday at deadline, no results were available from ENVIRON.
More intensive monitoring is expected to begin next week.
The testing is expected to last 60 to 90 days, and come at a cost of $58,000. The city previously discussed passing off the expense to residents of the sewer districts under construction, but City Council member Terri DiSciullo raised a question Tuesday night of whether the city could oblige contractor Quality Enterprises to cover the cost.
City Attorney Alan Gabriel said that would be contingent upon any finding that the hydrogen sulfide is, in fact presenting a hazard to residents’ health.
“All of the evidence I’ve seen so far shows that it is not a hazardous substance,” Gabriel said. “If it is shown to be, you could reach out to the contractor at that point to deal with it.”
Comments
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If the City will provide me with Mr. Gabriel's e-mail address, I will be happy to send him a link to the United States Department of Health and Human Services report on the Toxicity of Hydrogen Sulfide. You'd think for the amount we are paying him, he could find this himself, but if he is incapable of doing so, I stand ready to help!
His response to Councilor DiSciullo is so assinine, he should be fired forthwith! Even Yovanovich was more forthcoming than this. Who is he working for anyway? The City Manager, Quality Enterprises, or the citizens of Marco Island? And what took the city so long to contract with ENVIRON? Ms. DiSciullo complemented the administration about how fast they reacted but, in the end, they dragged their heels as usual.
Ed Foster
#1 Posted by EdFoster on September 6, 2007 at 7:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Chill out Ed. Ther are a lot of reports and it is all contingent on the concentration of H2S that is found. It is no different than the "Asbestos mess" as quoted above where the air was monitored around Site A, B and C and no airborne Asbestos was detected.
#2 Posted by lauralbi1 on September 6, 2007 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Issler (aka lauralbi1):
Apparently you haven't read the MIPD report. There was airborne asbestos detected.
That said, I'm glad that the air is finally being tested for H2S. I hope the contractor conducts a scientifically valid experiment and that it shows that the concentration is well BELOW the Department of Health and Human Services MRL level of 0.02 ppm. Nothing would please me more than to find that there is no problem on Marco. I don't want to find problems on Marco. I'd prefer there not be any. But when you cannot count on the City Administration to be pro-active (as they love to say) about finding potential problems ... and when you find the City Administration trivializing those that are found ... private citizens must do something to protect their health.
Ed Foster
#3 Posted by EdFoster on September 7, 2007 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Is it my imagination or has all the dewatering been halted since Environ got here? Coincidence?
#4 Posted by heebeed on September 8, 2007 at 7:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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