Dear
Stink
Diary,Caroline Beidler has kept a "stink diary" since 1998 when she bought a home and twelve acres of land in Pinehurst, a small rural community west of Marietta, Ohio. The odors are strong enough to wake her from a sound sleep. Caroline describes it as, "an awful industrial odor that lingers into the early morning hours and dissipates." The odor causes coughing, a stuffy nose, watery eyes, throat irritation and nausea.
November 2007 Stink Diary Summary: (3 days, so far) Wednesday, November 7 – 10:30 pm. Coming back from Athens in front of Eramet, Thick, toxic fog.Monday, November 19 – 7:00 pm, walking dog, could see haze and smell odor, Tuesday, November 20 – terrible headache all day. Warm night, went to open window @ 9:00 pm AWFUL, thick smell. Haze over valley all day.
October 2007 Stink Diary Summary: Monday, October 1 - Home and Silver Globe Rd. 6:00 am, Tuesday, October 2 - 5:45 am and stronger at 7:15 am home and Silver Globe Rd., Wednesday, October 3 – 5:00 am home, DISGUSTING!!, Sunday, October 7 – 11:00 am Home, Tuesday, October 9 – Very heavy smell – raining. Michaelis, 550 and Virginia Street, 5:15 pm, Saturday, October 13 – 8:30 am home, Sunday, October 21 – 5:45 – 6:30 am and again @ 8:00 pm (STRONGER!) home, Monday, October 22 – 2:00 am home, very heavy, Tuesday, October, 23 – 6:00 am Home, Tuesday, October 30 – Noon, white-bluish haze over Pinehurst valley, smell @ home, Wednesday, October 31 – haze and smell.
September 2007 Stink Diary Summary: Friday, September 7 – On 676 7:30-7:45 am and on Silver Globe Rd. 6:40 am, Saturday, September 8 – 5:30 am home, Horrendous! Worst in months!
July 2007 Stink Diary Summary: Sunday, July 8 – 5:30 am Strong, hazy foggy @ home and again at 9:30 am, VERY STRONG!, Monday, July 9 – 6:45 am @ home Smell of Eramet and honeysuckle, NOT a good smell! Saturday, July 14 – Riverfront Roar weekend. 7:15 pm Kroger, recycling center on Gilman, 9:15 pm, 2nd St. 8:06 pm Thursday, July 19 – Walked out of NCA meeting, opened church door and Eramet odor hit me in the face. 9:30 pm. Wooster to Norwood. PS reported odor from Wooster to Glendale Road also. Saturday, July 28 – 7:05 am Home.
June 2007 Stink Diary Summary: Tuesday, June 5 – 9:35 pm Vienna on Grand Central Avenue, Friday, June 8 – Air Quality 77 Sunday, June 17 – 8:30 am Home Monday, June 18 – Moderate Air Quality, no number given Thursday, June 28 – Home, 6:16 pm with rain Friday, June 29 – 6:15 am Home.
May 2007 Stink Diary Summary: Tuesday, May 1 WTAP-TV News - air quality as reported by the WV DEP 66 Moderate (read at 7:00 am) Wednesday, May 2 WTAP-TV News - air quality as reported by the WV DEP 66 Moderate (read at 7:00 am) Thursday, May 3 WTAP-TV News - air quality as reported by the WV DEP 66 Moderate (read at 7:00 am) Monday, May 7 - 7:50 am Rt 7 from car crusher to Belpre - Emmaus Road Tuesday, May 8 - Rt. 7 7:50 am from car crusher to Belpre Bridge Thursday, May 10 - 7:00 am Michaelis Rd, 7:10 am home Thursday, May 24 WTAP-TV News - air quality as reported by the WV DEP 100 Moderate (read at 7:00 am @ 56°) 83° at 5:00 pm WHAT IS IT NOW? Friday, May 25 - 10:00 am Rt. 7 to St. Rt. 550 to Michaelis Rd - NOTE*** WTAP-TV News - air quality as reported by the WV DEP 79 Moderate (read at 7:00 am) Memorial Day Weekend - Saturday, May 26 - 8:10 am home 60° no wind. Would have been a nice day to hang out clothes to dry if it didn't SMELL! Sunday, May 27 - 6 am briefly and again at 8:20 am hazy and strong smell 68° no wind Monday, May 28 - 5:45 am home Memorial Day As of May 29, 2007 we have experienced 36 smell episodes in 2007.
April 2007 Stink Diary Summary: April 10 - 7:00 am home Hazy, strong April 22 - 11:24 am home - 78° clear Beautiful day! -Earth Day! We spent Earth Day washing black soot off of our house! NOTE*** April 23 WTAP-TV News - air quality as reported by the WV DEP 66 Moderate (read at 7:00 am) WHAT IS IT AT 5PM WHEN IT IS THE HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY??
March 2007 Stink Diary Summary: March 3 - 8:45 am home, sunny 45° March 9 - 10:30 am home NOTE *** March, 8 Burn through, leak - Hole in furnace #1 @ Eramet March 11 - 7:00 am in Marietta March 12 - 7-8:00 pm home March 15 - 5:10 pm Michaelis Road March 31 - 12:30 pm home 61° overcast/drizzle
February 2007 Stink Diary Summary: Feb. 9 Mr. Wentz. St. Rt. 550 @ dark. He and Mrs. Wentz had to leave the house because the odor was so bad. Feb. 11 8:00 am, home with haze 10° Feb. 19 7:30 am home, 3:45 pm-home, 5:15 pm-home STRONG!, 6:30 pm-home STRONGER!, 11:30 pm St. Rt 550 from Rt. 7 to Michaelis and home 42° winds out of the south Feb. 20 3:50 pm St. Rt. 550, 5:00 pm downtown Marietta
Feb. 21 10-11:30 am all over town foggy
NOTE *** Feb. 22 Diane, Alix, Keith all had terrible headaches
NOTE *** Feb, 23 Burn through, leak - Hole in furnace #1 @ Eramet
January 2007 Stink Diary Summary
Just for the record, in January we recorded 16 separate days with what I would call strong Eramet odors. Jan 1 - 7:15 am-9:00 am Rinky Dinks on Rt 7 to 2nd Street, Marietta; Jan 3 - St Rt 676; Michaelis Road 8 pm - 9:30 pm (full moon, clear night 36° calm, no wind) PUTRID!; Jan 4 - St Rt 550 and Michaelis Road 6 am all through the daytime, and at home at 10 pm Keith - missed work headache;
Jan 5 - Home and Michaelis Road 6 am -10:30 am (rain) Keith missed work due to instant headache as he drove through the odor; Jan 11 - Home 5 pm and again at 10:50 pm; Jan 12 - St St 550 - 7:20 am and 3 pm
Michaelis Road 5;10 pm and 9:50 pm (light rain, fog); Jan 13 - St Rt 550 9:00 pm;
Jan 14 - Michaelis Road 7:20 am; St Rt 550 2 pm; Devola 7:30 pm;
Jan 18 - Michaelis Road - on the way to work, morning;
Jan 19 - Union Square - Second Street - Marietta 7:23 pm;
Jan 21 - Home 10:30 pm (34° mist and haze,snow) What could have been a beautiful, peaceful snowfall —SMELLED!!!; Jan 22 - Virginia Street, Putnam Street, 4th Street, Union Square 8 am;
Jan 24 - Virginia Street 7:30 am; Jan 26 - Michaelis Road 5-5:30 pm Heavy haze over the valley extended to Eramet; Jan 27 - St Rt 550, entire West Side, Front, Putnam 7:55 am Keith headache upon driving through odor; Jan 30 - Home 5:30 am.
2006 Stink Diary Review
Monday, January 1, 2007
1st record of the year January 11, 2006
Last record of the year December 31, 2006.
On five separate occasions during the year the industrial odors from Eramets Electrolytic Chromium process were strong enough to break into our home with the windows and doors closed and awaken us from sound sleep. Keep in mind we live 4-5 miles from the Eramet facility.
I have many entries citing odor-induced headaches, breathing problems and sore throats. I have records of muscle aches, flu-like symptoms and fatigue following odor episodes.
The odor has found its way into my dryer.
47 entries were recorded between the hours of 5:00 am and 10:30 am.
Most odor incidents were recorded at our home, 4-5 miles from Eramet. Some were in Marietta and others across the river in West Virginia.
On Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 11:55 pm and on Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 12:30 am as the lock-out at Eramet began we smelled the same industrial odor at Eramet that we smell at our home. We visited the locked out workers on the picket line on Thursday, August, 31, 2006 between 9:30 pm 10:30 pm and the union hall and experienced the odor. We have visited the picket lines on several other occasions and always smell El Chrome on the Blue Knob Road side of the facility.
Stink Diary Entry Summary 1998-2006:
1998 11
1999 12
2000 87 (Note-El Mang closed in October 2000)
2001 60
2002 35
2003 40
2004 47
2005 54
2006 72
Today, on the first day of 2007 Eramets odor has already been experienced. The odor was on Route 7 from Rinky Dinks to Second Street in Marietta. 7:15 am 9:00 am.
Out with the old in with the new? Wishful thinking.
Caroline
Monday, October 30, 2006
Hi Neighbors-
It is 4:30 am in Pinehurst. I am awake because Eramet's industrial odors are strong enough to be in our home. Keep in mind we are at least 4 miles from Eramet. Yes, our doors and windows are closed. We have headaches and sore throats. I have called the Ohio EPA and am waiting for the duty officer to call me back. I'd much rather be sleeping.
Tom Hockenbrocht called us at 10:45 pm last night to report that he had the odor in his home on Cole Coffman Road (off St. Rt. 550) 10/29/06.
It is a crystal clear 32° morning, stars are shining and there is no wind.
At times like this do we think about moving away, far, far away most definitely!
Sincerely,
Caroline in Stinkville.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Today marks the 50th recorded stink episode this year.
Home and on the way to work 6:30 am-7:30 am. This is the second day in a row Keith and
I both woke up with the smell and headaches. I had trouble breathing all
day, tightness in my chest and very uncomfortable breathing.
Monday, October 2, 2006
Home 6:30 am very foggy - Keith and I both woke up with the smell and
headaches. Keith has had a very stuffy nose, no air getting through.
4th Street, Marietta 12:15 pm
Michaelis Road 9:30 pm
Thursday, September 27, 2006
Home 6:30 am
Saturday, September, 23, 2006
Michaelis Road 10:00 pm
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Michaelis Road, 7:35 am, foggy, 58 degrees
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Home 10:45 am
Sunday, August 27, 2006
In front of Eramet on Rt. 7
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Rt. 7 and co. Rod 10 (Blue Knob Road) 9:30-10:00 pm at the Eramet picket line
and union hall
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Home, 8-9:00 am and at Eramet on Rt. 7 11:55 pm (Lockout began at midnight)
Thursday, August 24, 2006
4th Street, Marietta, 1:15 pm (Barb and Patrick Stewart also smelled it in
town) This is the same afternoon Ruth took photos of the disgusting plume of
orange/brown emissions from furnace#1.
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Tonight marked the 40th stink episode of the year
at or near our home in Pinehurst. Since January 2006 we have recorded
40 "stink episodes" in our stink diary. We had a very heavy
rain and thunderstorms earlier tonight and people here often ask, "does
Eramet release more during a heavy rain?" because afterwards the
blanket of odor is awful. From about 7:40 pm until 9:00 pm the odor was
very strong. It is the same odor that I and many others have complained
about for almost 10 years. It comes from the El Chrome process at Eramet.
Since 1998 we have averaged 45 stink episodes per year. Keep in mind we
live
more than 4 miles from the facility.