In an effort to develop a protocol for 'rapid-response' H2S monitoring for human use, we have been putting strips out in wetlands.

Degraded wetlands are often sources of "Rotten Egg" smell, which indicates H2S, often mixed with other sulfuric compounds --SOx and VOSCs. So the perennially mis-managed and ecologically confused Spanish Lake, halfway to Baton Rouge, may be a better candidate for H2S detection trials than Bayou Sauvage.

But the eventual use of these strips / Draeger tubes should be industrial sources.

Recently, there have been more reports of large flares. last week. Earlier this year, NORCO had large flares (ATV picture), as well as the DOW chemical plant in Plaquemine (second picture, Jeffrey Dubinsky)

From Jay Collingham, LA Bucket Brigade, on the most recent NORCO flare:

"Flares continued consistently for twelve days without any community notification. On several days, citizens reported flaring while the refinery did not report accidents to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality or National Response Center. Some reports stated that the flare fluctuated between 20 and 100 feet in height. While these violations are reprehensible by themselves, the duration of flaring exceeds the permissible time in a month under the refineries permit. The quantity of chemical exposure that is experienced by fence line neighbors and downwind residents increases the chances of disease.

Two local residents have stated by email that they witnessed flares on the four days with no reports of flaring but do not have photographs of the flare on those days."

----------One thing to attempt to figure out, is how typical these events are of our gulf coast rusting refineries. Should we get ready before storm events? Should we budget and plan around neglected maintenance schedules?

As such, there are a number of approaches to preparing to deploy an "artifical nose" like the one we are developing.

I can think of two off the bat:

1) monitor skytruth alerts, an RSS feed of National Response Center

Scott has an email alert via this system, as well as a backlog of all events in a Gulf Area, via RSS here: http://alerts.skytruth.org/rss?l=25.3341:-94.5813:31.6066:-86.8909

a search of this feed for "Hydrogen Sulfide" yielded 15 hits since November 2011, 5 are from NORCO in 9 months, and one from Chalmette Refinery. Reports of these events are slim, and downplayed. The official, self- reported numbers are untrustworthy.

Here are examples: http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=996303

http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=1007713

Note that Wind direction and speed are supposed to be reported, but rarely are.

2) Work with local groups in the line of fire with the sensor. such as local groups in NORCO, Ironton, or Murphy oil (now Valero). Some people already work with LA bucket brigade, others would be independent, all would require organizing work above what is currently conducted.

But even the second option could benefit from increased reporting and use of the National Response Center. Not only for notification reasons, but for legal reasons.

Here are weather stations close to NORCO and Chalmette Refineries:

KLA NORCO 2 http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KLANORCO2&day=06&month=08&year=2012

4 years of data here

KLA BELLE is the closest station to Chalmette. There is a need for a location weather station.

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KLABELLE5&day=06&month=08&year=2012

There is not a long history of data in this location, but there is an online sensor for H2S that Valero recently installed...