On April 15, the Pinova Facility located in Brunswick, GA experienced two fires within their Terpene Unit. The Pinova facility manufactures wood rosins that are used for making adhesives. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) requested air monitoring assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By the time the EPA arrived, the fire was extinguished and there was no visible plume or vapors leaving the fire impacted area.
- There was no active fire and no visible smoke plume was observed when the EPA deployed their air monitoring equipment. The EPA deployed AreaRae Pro air monitors at Selden Park, College of Coastal Georgia, and Brunswick PD (See Location Map).
- EPA monitored for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxygen percent, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and lower explosive limit percent.
- Pinova personnel
determined that alpha
pinene was the chemical of concern impacting the fire. Alpha
pinene is a flammable liquid, but it does not have an EPA
Acute Exposure Guideline Level, which is a specific concentration
level of an airborne chemical at which health effects may occur. In this
case, EPA used a comparable chemical, benzene, emergency screening level
while monitoring for alpha pinene. The Terpene Unit did not use benzene
nor was it considered as a breakdown component. The chemical
concentrations and period averages did not exceed EPA site-specific action
levels to prompt further intervention, shown in the Air
Monitoring Data Summary Sheet. There was a brief period of
approximately four hours where VOC concentrations were slightly elevated
at College of Coastal Georgia (Location 2) potentially due to nearby
vehicles or high humidity.
