© Oregonian/StaffHayden Island.
Federal air monitoring repeatedly detected a poisonous gas on Hayden Island,
where residents have complained for months about air pollution so thick they could taste it.Yet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wouldn't answer
The Oregonian/OregonLive's request for basic details about the discovery of hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs. Nor has the agency informed residents about what it's found.
Judy Smith, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, would only say the dangerous gas was found at levels high enough to cause reversible short-term health effects like headaches and shortness of breath.
"These are consistent with the complaints from local residents," she said in a written statement.
Smith wouldn't say what concentration of hydrogen sulfide was detected, how frequently it appeared, or where the air monitors were set up during testing conducted from November until January. She said testing results are expected to be released at a May 9 community meeting.
The federal agency's refusal to divulge basic information about its findings continues a series of slow disclosures about Portland's toxic air that have left thousands worried about whether they're breathing clean air.
Comment: As well as hydrogen sulfide being released in the oil and gas drilling process, natural outgassing of toxic gases can also occur.
Other possible cases of outgassing around the United States in recent times include: