Refinery smell

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I hike at Turkey Mountain a lot

Is Mrs. Fodder aware of that?

[cannon_fodder]

lol, from what I have seen it appears the "after hours" homosexual activity has moved to Mohawk park.  We were out there for a night hike for the full moon a couple weeks ago and just after dark there were many, many cars coming and going from various parking lots.  But no hikers.  Seemed odd.

Anyway, generally I'm hiking WITH Mrs. Fodder.



HOMETOWN:

Feedlots smell oh-my-god so much worse than anything in Tulsa.  Drive by Amrillo sometime.  DEAR GOD!

Not sure where you live, but I have lived in the midtown area for 6 years, worked downtown, and worked near the airport and there are no mal odors in my day to day life.  About three times a year you can smell the refineries in downtown Tulsa.  Other than that nothing really.

I'm from Iowa.  "Farm" smells generally are not that offensive to me and I would not be desensitized to sulfur/oil smells.  But those feed lots are overpowering.  

Where are you smelling these noxious smells constantly in Tulsa?  I've even been to friends houses in River West Apartments very frequently and usually don't notice anything noxious.  Some days it is I readily admit, but generally it is noticeable but not noxious by any stretch.

I'm really perplexed.  I've never had any visitors make such comments and I've never had such notions myself.  Perhaps you are overly sensitive to sulfur smells or live in a bad location for odor?
- - -

PonderInc:

As far as I am aware the EPA standards are three fold:  peak emissions at any given time, daily emissions, and annual emissions.  You can not at any time put out more than X parts for Billion of Y.  In a day you can not release Z.  And annually you will be fined if you discharge more than W.    (not an emissions expert, but that is my understanding)

At night it could be that there is usually less wind AND cool air can cause "heavy air" to force things to ground level.  Thus, if you lived near said offenders there would be more odor and indeed more pollutant in your area.

OR... they are trying to cheat on their emissions.

[PonderInc]

One time, I got tired of waking up to the stink, so I called the Oklahoma Dept of Environmental Quality at about 2 or 3 am.  The bureaucrat who answered the phone acted quite annoyed that I wanted to file a complaint.  She kept trying to talk me out of it...guess she didn't want to do any paperwork.

Finally, she entered my complaint. They sent a guy to test the air the next day.  (several hours after sunrise), when the winds had kicked back up and dispersed the chemicals that caused the smell.

[Hometown]

I live in the NW Quadrant and work downtown.  There are days I don't notice anything and weeks when it goes on all week.  When I was growing up in Lortondale I never smelled it.

Mohawk, huh?  Must be the born again crowd driving in from Denial, Oklahoma.  Fighting nature every step of the way.  Don't you just wish they would own up to it and have their fun in private?

Hey, I've read about air quality testing that groups or individuals can do on their own.  I don't trust anyone in authority around here to stand up against the refineries.

[PonderInc]

You may have heard of the Smokestack Effect...a report by USA Today on the air quality at schools throughout the nation.

According to the report, "the exposure to toxic chemicals in the air outside some schools appears so high that students could be at risk of suffering a range of ailments, from asthma to cancer."

The USA TODAY report shows a map of schools with the worst air.  Guess what?  There were 3 schools in Oklahoma...all were in Sand Springs.  "Analysis of EPA data indicated the air outside these schools had the highest levels of dangerous toxic chemicals, most of which have never been tested for their effects on children."

Weird smell sets off probe

You can also filter the list of schools nationwide by name, county, or state.  Interesting to see how Tulsa area schools rank.  In this list, you don't want to be in the 1st percentile!

[bugo]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

The paper mills in the Northwest smell terrible. They call it the aroma of Tacoma.

Not to mention the paper mills in the Southeast.  There's a reason Meatwad from ATHF said a bad smell "smells like Louisiana".  I used to live in Savannah, GA, and when the wind would come from the NW, the whole town would be choked by the horrible odor.

[bugo]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

I have yet to live in a city that Stinks as much as Tulsa -- other than Tulsa.  No one else has gotten close.  Havn't lived in Houston or Love Canal, but lots of other places and yes, the stockyards in Ft. Worth had a certain odor but nothing as widespread or as noxious as here.  It's a little silly to try and dismiss it.

Move to Montgomery, AL, Savannah, GA, Ashdown (Assdown), AR, or any other town with a paper mill and you'll realize that Tulsa doesn't smell bad at all for a city.

[bugo]

I smelled the offensive odor all over Brookside.  If it's the same odor you all are referring to, it smelled to me kind of like broccoli or cauliflower or some other noxious vegetable cooking (I hate the smell of most vegetables).

[Gaspar]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

I have yet to live in a city that Stinks as much as Tulsa -- other than Tulsa.  No one else has gotten close.  Havn't lived in Houston or Love Canal, but lots of other places and yes, the stockyards in Ft. Worth had a certain odor but nothing as widespread or as noxious as here.  It's a little silly to try and dismiss it.

OH WOW!

quote:and yes, the stockyards in Ft. Worth had a certain odor but nothing as widespread or as noxious as here.

That's quite a statement.  I've been to the stockyards in several states and there is absolutely nothing to compare. NOTHING.

Some of the larger Kansas feed lots can be smelled from as far as 20 miles away.

Upwind of the brewery in St. Lewis can tie your gut into a knot (literally smells like vomit).

Even our sewage treatment plant up north is mild compared with most.  

New Orleans in the spring is an odor that takes about 3 days to get used to (the river turns over).

Don't know what you've got against Houston. I spend several weeks a year there and find it very clean and relatively odor free.

I think Tulsa smells great!  
If our industries put out objectionable odors than that's something they need to work on, but to say that we're the worst is a huge stretch.

[Conan71]

Or Dodge City, Liberal, or Garden City, Kansas.  You can literally smell the stockyards of Dodge 5 miles before you get there.

[Hometown]

Hey, we look okay compared to worst stinkholes of the planet.  That's really reassuring.  Personally I look up not down when searching for comparisons.

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by Gaspar

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

I have yet to live in a city that Stinks as much as Tulsa -- other than Tulsa.  No one else has gotten close.  Havn't lived in Houston or Love Canal, but lots of other places and yes, the stockyards in Ft. Worth had a certain odor but nothing as widespread or as noxious as here.  It's a little silly to try and dismiss it.

OH WOW!

quote:and yes, the stockyards in Ft. Worth had a certain odor but nothing as widespread or as noxious as here.

That's quite a statement.  I've been to the stockyards in several states and there is absolutely nothing to compare. NOTHING.

Some of the larger Kansas feed lots can be smelled from as far as 20 miles away.

Upwind of the brewery in St. Lewis can tie your gut into a knot (literally smells like vomit).

Even our sewage treatment plant up north is mild compared with most.  

New Orleans in the spring is an odor that takes about 3 days to get used to (the river turns over).

Don't know what you've got against Houston. I spend several weeks a year there and find it very clean and relatively odor free.

I think Tulsa smells great!  
If our industries put out objectionable odors than that's something they need to work on, but to say that we're the worst is a huge stretch.

Worst that I've experienced.  I haven't lived next to the sewage plant in Calcutta yet.

Hey I'm convinced other places stink.

Your statement, "If our industries put out objectionable odors than that's something they need to work on," is an understatement and movement in the right direction.

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown


Mohawk, huh?  Must be the born again crowd driving in from Denial, Oklahoma.  Fighting nature every step of the way.  Don't you just wish they would own up to it and have their fun in private?

I suppose.  Perhaps there are no good slut-ridden gay bars in Tulsa (equivalent to whatever the find-a-slut hetero bars are in Tulsa).  I really have no idea.

All I know is when I used to work out that way I would occasionally do lunch at the Mohawk and several times single men would drive up to my parked car and say hello (or followed my usually slow moving car [lunch-day drive as it were] until I parked).  An awkward conversation ensued and then they left puzzled.  At first I thought it was just a strange conversation, replaying it in my head I thought otherwise.

Same deal with the cars at night.  2 or 3 cars/vans at random parking lots.  5 or 10 back by Oxley.  But we never saw another hiker in the entire park.  Just seemed strange.

I could, of course, be totally misconstruing it with a false notion in my head.  Like I said, we never saw anyone out of the cars.  So I guess whoever it was and whatever they were doing was relatively private... no harm no foul.

Or maybe Oklahoma has gotten to me and I've become a closet homophobe afraid of catching the gay. []  Who knows, but I'd be interested in hearing what the real deal is.

[waterboy]

There is more than Mercaptan floating out of refineries. I spent a fair amount of time working in one in Lake Charles, La. The different smells are pretty distinctive. The workers learn to associate certain sounds and certain smells with upsets in the processes. Its a self preservation skill. They can even tell where the crude is coming from.

The stockyards area in OKC has a mighty powerful smell. One wonders if your health is being impacted there. But there is no wondering about the smells from a refinery or an injection well being dangerous. Check the lifespans of their workers and their general health. Workers who were in their 40's looked to be near 60. Hell, look at your patio furniture that's left uncovered all year long. That blackish grunge that won't wash off settled from the same air you breath.

ODEQ is subject to political pressure. I don't know if the odors emanating from the Westside are causing the increase in bladder cancers North of the river that Urban Tulsa reported years ago. Neither does anyone else. Seems curious to me that their research didn't trigger a study by larger, more creditable entities. Instead a lot of energy was put into discrediting the story and the publication.

Its foolish to deny they exist. The smells are real, though not all that frequent. They are varied, seasonal and very subject to wind and rain. The one constant is the direction of the wind or lack thereof. Some people are more sensitive to them than others. In fact, after I worked at the refinery for a few weeks, I didn't smell them much any more.

Trouble is, no one around here has documented what effect they are having.

BTW, my suggestion CF is to invite Godiva or Hershey's to town.[8D]

[nathanm]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

I have yet to live in a city that Stinks as much as Tulsa -- other than Tulsa.  No one else has gotten close.  Havn't lived in Houston or Love Canal, but lots of other places and yes, the stockyards in Ft. Worth had a certain odor but nothing as widespread or as noxious as here.  It's a little silly to try and dismiss it.

I find the smell of cow **** dust to be much more offensive than anything coming out of the refineries. Perhaps the refinery effluent will kill me, but at least I won't die smelling ****.