“Burning rubber” stench from Burnaby refinery didn’t violate air quality limits
A foul smell coming from the Parkland refinery in Burnaby this weekend didn’t breach Metro Vancouver’s air quality limits, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The stench, described as “burning rubber or plastic,” prompted more than 100 people to file odour complaints and spread around the region before forcing the refinery to shut down on Monday.
But throughout the incident, the contaminants didn’t exceed the region’s limits for air quality. That’s according to an updated special air quality statement from ECCC, which said nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter caused the smell.
“While there was an odour present and sulphur dioxide levels did increase, Metro Vancouver’s air quality objectives for those air contaminants were not exceeded at the monitoring stations during the event,” it said.
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The weather agency says it will continue to work with health authorities to monitor air quality and issue further bulletins if it declines again.
Metro Vancouver, the federation that bands together many of the municipalities in the Lower Mainland, is responsible for issuing emissions permits. ECCC said the refinery is in compliance with its air quality permit.
Parkland usually posts notices of events and air quality disruptions on its website.