The Chemical Safety Board’s investigation points to a corroded pipe as the source of the explosion. It also says several safety provisions failed to kick in immediately or were not in place.
After a video call with the company that’s redeveloping the PES site, some members of an environmental justice group said they still had questions.
Some levels are higher than what the EPA deems actionable. An agency spokesperson and the Philly health department say the levels don’t indicate health impacts for nearby neighborhoods. But the director of Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College said any exposure increases risk.
Pretty much every day, the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery sent thick black-gray plumes of smoke into the air, to mingle with emissions from nearby Philadelphia International Airport and the two interstate highways that run through Grays Ferry.
