Health Consultation: Landfill-Gas-Recovery Condensate Off-Gassing in a Residential Area, Northville Township, Wayne County, Michigan.

摘要

In November 2002, intense odors from a sewer line were reported to be entering the ambient air of a yard of a residence on Reservoir Road in Northville Township, Wayne County, Michigan. The odors were making enjoyment of the area impossible and were causing potential exposure of the residents to high concentrations of volatile organic compounds. Investigative efforts by local and state government agencies revealed that landfill-gas-recovery condensate released to the sewer system from a gas-recovery plant was the cause of the odors. High concentrations of total volatile organic compounds were detected in the condensate and residential ambient air. Local and state agencies convened with the operators of the landfill and gas-recovery plant to correct the situation. The odors now have subsided, and total volatile organic compounds in ambient air have decreased to near-normal background levels for the area. No apparent public health hazard exists in the Reservoir Road neighborhood since corrective actions were completed.