In the middle of August, residents of Ilsky settlement informed municipal administration of an unusual smell. In order to analyse the situation, the Refinery in short notice started the investigation and involved its own laboratory, Federal State Institution “Centre of Laboratory Analysis and Technical Metrology”, as well as the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing. Residents of Ilsky were also invited to judge the air for harmful substances. A leading specialist in civil defense and emergency situations of Ilsky Unified Service, Daniil Kurduban, was asked to join the measurement procedures.
According to the preliminary data of the factory laboratory, the total concentration of the substances on the borders of the sanitary protection zone meets sanitary regulations. These results were confirmed and supplemented by assistants of the Centre of Laboratory Analysis and Technical Metrology. The inspection reports of atmospheric air samples contain information on a wide range of criteria; in particular, they represent nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon oxide content in the atmospheric air. By now, all tests have confirmed that the maximum permissible concentrations have not been exceeded.
Moreover, since the registered inquiry from the residents, the Seversky branch of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology started regular checks and test measurements once every 4 hours round-the-clock.
All samples are now examined for the constant grade of saturated hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, methyl tret-butyl ether in order to identify the average content in the air. The final test report will be submitted to Ilsky Oil Refinery in the early September, although no violations have been recorded so far.
According to a representative of the expert group, they managed to identify the cause of the smell which is not related to the Refinery’s activity.
The main priority of Ilsky Refinery is to ensure accident-free and reliable operation of all divisions of the enterprise. Air and noise monitoring within the boundaries of the sanitary protection zone is obligatory and on-going.