When Hurricane Harvey struck Texas in August, industrial facilities in the state shut down, then reopened a few days later. In doing so, they produced nearly 2,000 tons of "excess emissions" -- air pollutants in addition to what was allowed as part of their normal operation.
A study by Indiana University researchers shows that excess emissions -- which occur with plant shut-downs, start-ups and malfunctions, and not just in connection with natural disasters -- can make serious contributions to overall air pollution. Yet excess emissions have not received a lot of attention from researchers or regulators, the study's authors said. Only three states -- Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma -- systematically track and report excess emissions and make the data public.
"These emissions are significant," said Nikolaos Zirogiannis, a scientist at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and an author of the study. "They are a regular feature of the operation of industrial facilities, and a single event lasting from a few hours to a few days can produce a large quantity of emissions."
They also can have a serious impact. The study includes an analysis that concludes excess emissions in Texas cause approximately $150 million a year in negative health consequences.
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